The Dragon Within RP
by Seras4545
Summary: What if, during the Nekoken training, Ranma had merged his soul with a dying dragon god to preserve his sanity? This is Reposted due to error in server. Please rereview for those of you who reviewed before. Ch. 7 up!
1. Secret of the Neko Ken

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic By Seras4545

Disclaimer: You know the drill... If you don't then you might as well as put a legal bullet in your head, 'cause if you don't then lawyers will instead. Oh, and I own Lethander and Garyx, along with any characters that aren't familiar to Ranma fans. Many spells and abilities based on D&D though many in later chapters won't be.

A/N: No, I am not stopping TCFC, I am just floating an idea before I forget it, something that I do often annoyingly. I'll try updating whenever I can. Hope you like this new twist on Ranma's life in the beginning, as it seems that changing the basic story is all I can do as any attempt to change it after season three or so just gets screwed up. Rated M for later chapters.

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

**Signs **

"**Panda signs"**

"_Ranma Mindspeech"_

"**_Lethander Mindspeech"_**

Chinese

Random Language 

Chapter 1: The Secret Of The Neko Ken

Seven Years Ago - Prime Material Plane - Remote Mountain In Northern Region Of Japan

Ranma was terrified. His father was in the middle of tying more fish products to his son. The last time had failed, ending with Ranma cold, cut up, and absolutely miserable. His father had yelled at him for being a weakling and a little girl and had proceeded to beat him. Now, almost a week later, he was attempting to teach his son the technique again.

"Please dad, don't put me in there again!" Ranma cried out, terrified that this time he wouldn't survive this time. Last time the cats had been starved for only a couple days. Now, they had had no food for over six.

The fat man in the gi that was once white but had been stained to something more along the lines of gray ignored Ranma. He finished his work and went and opened the lid covering the pit. Ranma could hear the hunger filled yowling and his terror grew tenfold.

Genma picked him up and held him over the pit. He smiled wickedly at Ranma. "You better learn it this time boy, 'cause I'm not taking you out till you do."

He began lowering Ranma into the pit while Ranma screamed. "No, stop! I'll do anything, just don't put me in there! Noooooooooooooooo!"

Ranma tried to claw his way back up his father's arm but he merely shook him off and he fell into the pit. The cover was replaced and he was enshrouded in complete darkness.

Ranma tried to control the fear and was succeeding, until he felt the first claws on his skin and the terror overwhelmed his already weakened defenses...

Seven Years Ago - Alternate Material Plane - Lair Of Divine Blue Dragon Lethander

There was fire and destruction all over the town. Bodies were strewn everywhere, many just mangled but others appeared to have been torched. The castle, once a great and magnificent keep and home to a dragon god, lay in ruins. One could hear the mighty battle raging inside from the far mountain ranges.

Two dragons were fighting within a cave system beneath the keep. They flew and dove at each other, clawing and biting and battering with tail and wings, with the occasional breath weapon and spell. They were both wounded deeply, their scales marred by huge gouges and furrows left by the others fangs and claws. They broke suddenly and landed, facing each other.

"You will not get away with this, Garyx. The dragon council will have your head!" The saphire blue dragon roared out, shaking the walls with the power of his voice.

The onyx black dragon, Garyx, dragon god of order and death, was unimpressed. "They no longer have that power Lethander. I have mastered all the schools and disciplines of magic and have even surpassed the ninth circle! There is no true end to the wonders of magic, brother."

Lethander, dragon god of chaos and life, winced inwardly when he heard Garyx call him brother. He attempted to throw another spell at his 'brother' . He was surprised to see it immediately fizzle out and heard his brother laugh. He tried again, with a stronger spell this time, with the same results. Now his brother had begun roaring(Literally) with laughter.

"What's the matter Lethander? Can't seem to cast any more spells? How pathetic! I thought you had more in you than that!"

Lethander, his fury stoked to beyond reason, extended his wings and drew in a mighty breath and released a steady stream of lightning on Garyx. He was surprised and afraid when the cloud of lightning dispersed harmlessly, when it should have stayed for at least a few minutes with life in it's own right. Then his fear increased tenfold when he saw thousands of runes come to life all around, and he heard Garyx's victorious laughter. He realized too late that Garyx had used him to power his spell.

"Fool! Now you will be destroyed with your own power!" He then began muttering under his breath in vile speech, a foul language that had been banned from use even by demons because of it's destructive and unwholesome powers.

Lethander tried to attack, but found that he could no longer move or speak. When Garyx finished Lethander could feel the spell clamp down on his soul like bands of adamantium. Before his vision and life failed completely, he threw one last spell to activate the runes that protected his castle and his horde. Then he was cast out of his body, onto what he believed was oblivion.

Garyx felt a surge of superiority and triumph as Lethander's body slumped to the ground, lifeless.

He saw the wards around the cave and the room containing Lethander's horde spring to life and he snorted in contempt. _Typical of Lethander to attempt to thwart me even after death. No matter. This should be nothing for me now._

Garyx immediately knew something was wrong as he attempted to tap his mana. It was swiftly draining out of him. As he tried to figure out what was happening he saw the runes he used spring to life once again and heard an echo of his own voice reciting the incantation. _Ahh shit!_ was the last thing he thought as his soul was cast out of his body by his own spell. His body fell lifeless next to Lethanders and both gradually turned to diamond of their respective colors.

No one was able to breech the barriers of Lethander's keep, not even gods. It was not for lack of trying however, as many had perished trying to break the barriers, drained of energy and life. Only Lethander himself knew how to dispel them, all others were drained and made them even stronger than before.

Soon the castle became legend and only foolhardy adventurers traveled there, trying to make a quick fortune.

Seven Years Ago - Prime Material Plane - Ranma's Domain

Lethander tumbled through the darkness for what felt like untold ages, uncontrollably hurtling through the void. Suddenly he felt a pull and was somehow anchored to a plane. He emerged from the void into what seemed like a dark pit. He noticed a young boy, or rather his soul which glowed a brilliant blue, curled up in the middle. Then he saw the souls of cats, hundreds of them, twisted and streaked with red and black. They were attacking the boy and Lethander could see that the poor soul was being ripped to shreds and would soon be lost to the madness induced by such conditions.

Lethander had heard of this particular ritual before and knew that it destroyed the soul and sanity of those who succumb to it. Their soul was then replaced with that of a feline demon and became a mindless machine bent on the destruction of all around it. Only a fool would use such a thing.

He looked into the memories and soul of the lad and saw countless years of loneliness, pain, and torture at the hands of his father in the name of raising him to become the best at martial arts. Lethander knew he could save the boy if the boy was willing. Lethander knew it was too late for him to restore himself, already the barriers of his own 'domain' were crumbling. So he chose to give the boy a chance to save himself.

The technique had actually originated from his plane, but it was meant to bond the soul of a dragon to create a rare creature referred to as a dragoon. This was a twisted version of it that had leaked into this plane of existence somehow. The ritual could be redeemed if the boy so wished.

Lethander cast a barrier around himself and the boy that kept the demons at the edge of the pit. When the boy realized he was no longer being attacked, he raised his head tentatively, as if afraid that acknowledging his safety would shatter it. That was when he saw Lethander in all his hallowed glory. Thinking it was another demon after his soul, he tried to escape but found he couldn't. He turned to face the creature with what courage he had left, thinking it would be his last act as a human, which in a way he was right.

"Calm, young one. I have no wish to harm you. Indeed, I wish to aid you." Lethander said, using his powers to make sure the boy understood his speech. The boy's eyes widened in surprise and hope.

"You'll help me? Why? Why would you do such a thing for me? Who are you? What are you?" Lethander found he could understand the boy's speech perfectly and realized that he was speaking in a language that even the gods had forgotten over the ages as they needed the words less and less. It was the holy language of creation, the word that had bound and created each and every plane of existence by some unknown entity.

_How in the world does he know that language? And instinctively no less!_ Lethander peered deeper into the boy's soul. He saw the deep hidden wells of knowledge and power in him and knew that in time the boy would be a match for a full grown dragon in his own right. Then he saw, deep in the boy's bloodline, the blood of one of the most holy of races in creation, that of the Astral Deva or 'Messangers of the creator' as they were once called. He had thought they had gone extinct long ago but at least one had apparently reached this plane and successfully pro-created.

_This boy will have an interesting fate in store for him if he survives._ "I am a god of dragons, Lethander, god of chaos and life. As you just heard I am a dragon. Well... as for the god part, I guess former would be more accurate."

The boy's curiosity seemed piqued. "A dragon! And a god! Wow! Hey wait, what do you mean by former? How can you be a former god?"

Lethander chuckled at his curiosity. "You have more questions than a quickling young one. I'm afraid that we don't have much time. Suffice to say I was defeated by another god and cast out of my body."

The boy still had questions. "Why do you need to hurry then? Don't you have all the time in the world?"

Lethander sighed. "No, and neither do you. Without my body to restore my mana and ki, I am slowly being unraveled. I am beyond saving. You however, I can save. I can merge with you and redeem this unholy ritual and save your mind and soul. I would essentially become you, though my individuality would be completely lost. You will gain the dragon's share (Pardon the pun) of my power and memories, but I will cease to exist."

When the boy began to protest, Lethander could not believe the boy's good heart and pure soul. He was willing to give up his chance at survival to save him instead. The dying dragon merely shook his head solemnly, stopping the boy's protests. "It does not matter either way, I will eventually unravel and disperse throughout the cosmos otherwise. I choose to save you over a slow death."

When the boy mentioned that his father had said it had to be the spirit of a cat, the dragon laughed aloud. "Originally this ritual was made for dragon bonding, that is why I was drawn here. Besides, do you not see the resemblance? We dragons are far distant ancestors of felines, so it will work. Besides, would you rather retain control of your body or would you want to become posessed by a demon that wishes nothing but harm on your world?"

The boy nodded and agreed. Lethander paid a farewell to all who knew him and merged with the boy becoming one. When all was finished Ranma heard Lethander's voice faintly. "**_Thank you Ranma, and now farewell..._**" A tear slid down Ranma's cheek as he felt the dragon's personality break down and meld into his. Lethander vanished from existence, leaving only two legacies, his horde and the boy named Ranma Saotome...

A/N: So how do you like it so far? Not bad length if I say so myself, though it will get longer as the fic grows. Just so you know, Ranma isn't going to be all that much stronger than he was in the series, he is just going to be a lot smarter in general (Like six hundred thousand years smarter, though it is gonna be repressed and most will not be applied to his world, though he will have the intelligence to match) and will be able to use magic. No, I don't plan on having this become a Ranma is a god fic. Please R&R, thanks.

Seras out. Till next time!


	2. Here's Ranma!

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic By Seras4545

A/N: Well as you can probably tell, I have no life, so all I can do right now is have fun reading and writing stories. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, they are really great. Just so everyone knows I am basing early draconic abilities on D&D Dragons. Ranma will still get cursed like normal, though he has more ability to control it with magic, if he remembers at least! In D&D there are no spells to make a person waterproof or to ward off water and I don't plan on Ranma making one. As for the immortality thing, I will explain as I did to RanmaSaotome.

What It Means To Be Immortal:

You do not need to eat

You do not need to drink

You do not need to sleep

You do not need to breathe

Only mortal wounds will kill you

You can live as long as you like so long as you aren't killed.

I will have Ranma still eat, drink, sleep, and breathe and will only gain the benefits of the quick healing much later in the story. I will fix the problem of his friends and family aging and dying later. Oh, and there will be an epic battle between Lethander Incarnate and Garyx Incarnate, give suggestions as to who should be Garyx Incarnate or if I should make someone up.

Anyways, on with the show!

Chapter 2: Here's Ranma!

Present Day - Prime Material - Nerima - Shopping District

"Nerima was a strange town to say the least." The narrator droned in a bored voice as rain pattered down. Several people looked at him as if he had grown a new head, oh, wait, he did. Annoyed, the narrator cut it off with a knife he got from somewhere. "All right so it has some of the most random shit and is home to very powerful schools of martial arts. Anyways, many here did not know how much stranger their lives would be when one Ranma Saotome enters the life of Nerima. Ranma is being chased... Ooof!"

The narrator is promptly knocked over by a female Ranma and then crushed by six hundred pounds of furry panda. The two pay no attention to the death of the narrator and continue on, Ranma jumping over the panda's lame attempts to capture her.

Nearing the end of the alley, Ranma finally gets fed up and turns to face the beast, putting her backpack down. "Hey! You better cut that out!" She yelled at the unfazed panda, which had assumed a fighting stance. She dodged some of the attacks it launched at her and then drop kicked it to the other end of the alley.

Thinking it was over, she turned her back and grabbed her backpack and continued walking. She did not notice the Panda rise to it's feet and it attacked her from behind, hitting her hard enough to launch her across the pavement which was slick due to the rain earlier. She slid to a stop in the middle of the street and turned to face the beast. Many people looked at her in curiosity and then their eyes bugged out when they saw the giant panda come walking up to the girl and assume a fighting stance once more.

This had definitely caused the Nerimians weird-shit-o-meter to fly through the roof and many ran off to find more familiar events, ones that did not involve something so strange. Others merely gawked while a few used their amazing powers of observation and their ability to vomit what was currently on their minds. Currently the thought was... "It's a panda!"... "Huh? A Panda?" Nice, thanks for the comments Sherlock and Watson, brilliant deductions.

Ranma fell into a fighting stance as well and was getting very pissed. "Well I still say the whole thing sucks!" She said as she dodged the panda's punches. Surprisingly to the Nerimites she actually grabbed hold of one. "Picking my fiance like that without even asking!" She punctuated her last words by throwing the panda over her shoulder and into a nearby stop sign, instantly crumpling it. The panda slumped into a heap on the ground.

Ranma picked up her backpack again and started heading off. "I'm going back to china for a cure! You can stay like that for all I care, you deserve it!"

The panda rose once again and ripped the stop sign up. It sneaked behind the girl and slammed the sign down on her head, several times, very hard. After a few of those the redhead slumped into unconsciousness. The panda put her on it's shoulder and grabbed the pack she had dropped.

Many of the Nerimites were now muttering angrily and planned against the evil panda. Hearing their words the panda turned and growled menacingly at them, scaring them away and dashing any plans of rescue.

The Nerimites weren't cowards, no not at all. They just didn't have what it takes to face up to a giant and obviously cranky panda, not with their current numbers and cumulative skills.

So the panda left with it's prize and the Nerimites promptly forgot about it.

Present Time - Prime Material - Nerima - Tendo Dojo

Soun sat at the table, remembering good old times with his buddy Genma when Kimiko was still alive. Soun began to cry when he thought of his dear departed wife but regained control of himself. _Though I miss her dearly, I must not lose myself like before. My daughters have paid a heavy enough price already for my inability to act._

He was jerked out of his inner thoughts by his beautiful elder daughter Kasumi entering the room. "Mail's here father." She said as she laid down a stack of envelopes in front of him. Soun admired his daughter, how much she resembled her late mother, and nearly began to cry again.

Strengthening his resolve, he looked through the mail, most of which appeared to be bills. He set those aside and noticed that there was a postcard hidden at the bottom of the pile. He saw that it was from China and began to get excited.

_Genma said he would go training in China for awhile, didn't he? This must be from him!_ Sure enough, when he turned the postcard over he saw the familiar sloppy handwriting of his old friend.

**On our way from China.**

**Bringing the boy.**

**Let the schools be joined.**

**Genma Saotome**

Soun stared in disbelief at the good news. "Finally Ranma is coming! How I have waited for this day!" He finally broke down and began to cry. When he finished he looked at the postcard again and noticed the date that they were to arrive. _Why, that's today! Oh happy day!_

Soun jumped up excitedly and put the postcard up his sleeve. He went into the kitchen were Kasumi was preparing breakfast. "Kasumi! Please get Nabiki and Akane! I have important news! Meet me in the living room!"

As Soun ran off to prepare for his friends arrival, Kasumi went to find her siblings. _I wonder what's gotten father so excited? It must be really good to make him so energetic!_

She found Nabiki in her room reading some manga and eating a popsicle. "Nabiki, we're having a family meeting!"

Before Nabiki could reply, Kasumi had gone off to find Akane. She finished her popsicle and got dressed in her kimono. _After all, if it is something that got father so worked up that he calls a family meeting for the first time in years then it must be important._

Suddenly Kasumi popped her head back into Nabiki's room. "Umm.. Nabiki? Do you know where Akane is? I can't find her anywhere."

Nabiki knew exactly where Akane would be and where she would go at this time. "Don't worry sis, I'll go get her."

Kasumi nodded her thanks and returned to the kitchen to finish breakfast.

Nabiki got out her camera and looked out her window. Sure enough, Akane came running into the Tendo compound and Nabiki heard her rush into her room, change, and run out again and open the doors to the dojo.

Nabiki followed her out and arrived just in time to see her slice through five cinder blocks at once. Nabiki caught one of the shard underneath her foot and readied her camera.

"Whew! That felt good!" As she wiped her hand across her brow Nabiki took her shot. _That one should be worth ten thousand to Kuno. _She thought with pleasure. It was hard to make enough money to keep this place up and running.

When Akane heard the click and saw the flash she turned to see her sister standing in the doorway with a camera. "There you go again Akane! This is exactly why the boys don't like you in a normal way."

Akane was immediately on the offensive. "So why should I care, Nabiki? Not everyone's world revolves around BOYS! I hate them and you know it!"

Nabiki smiled mischeviously. "Really? Well then, I guess this wouldn't interest you." As she began to walk she snickered inwardly as she heard Akane follow. Nabiki knew exactly what this was all about, or at least she hoped it was what had gotten her father so excited. She had read a passage in his journal once that mentioned the agreement between the two families, made back when Kimiko, her mother, was still alive and well. Thinking about her mother brought a wave of sadness that she fought off. _I've got to be strong! I promised mother I wouldn't cry._

She regained control of her emotions as they all sat down to breakfast and ate in silence. Once the meal was finished, the girls looked expectantly at their father.

Soun was lost in his pride of his daughters, how grown up and strong they were. He snapped back to reality as he heard Nabiki call to him.

"I'm sorry Nabiki, I was lost in my thoughts. What did you say again?"

Nabiki, used to her fathers lapses, repeated her question. "Well, father. What's the meeting for? What's this all about."

Soun immediately perked up. "Oh! Yes, right! My old friend and training partner, Genma Saotome, is coming to visit and he is bringing his son. Our two families had made an agreement to join the two schools of Anything Goes by marrying our children."

Nabiki pretended to be surprised by this. "Wait a minute. You mean that we have a potential fiance coming to visit?"

"Fiance!" Kasumi looked alarmed. _Oh no! A fiance! What about Tofu? I love him!_

Soun continued calmly, oblivious to what was racing through his daughter's minds. "Yes, his name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."

_Wild Horse eh? Wonder of he lives up to the name? In any case, if he's handsome and not too dumb then he's mine!_ Nabiki relished the thought of someone new who did not know her reputation and wouldn't base how he acts on it. It would be a jump start for her life. It was what she had been waiting for for a long time. Akane had a different viewpoint on this however.

"Hey! Wait a minute here! Don't we get to have some say in who we're going to marry!" She yelled, righteous fury twisting her face.

Nabiki decided to further her own cause and make Akane resent this even more. "Maybe you should wait to meet him. You never know, he might be really cute!" Akane merely 'hurumphed' and turned her head away.

Nabiki decided to ignore her now, sure that she would hate the guy's guts. She turned back to face her father. "Right daddy?"

Soun chuckled nervously and looked at the postcard once again. "They'll be here any minute."

Nabiki didn't like how he had evaded the question but let it go for now.

"Ranma and his father have been on a training mission for ten years. Recently they crossed over into China." He said as he walked toward the backyard and stood staring into the koi pond.

Nabiki immediately perked up upon hearing this. Going to China required a lot of money. "Oh, wow! China huh?"

Akane, not being as worldly as her sister, had a different opinion. "So he hiked all the way to China. Big deal." Nabiki nearly laughed upon hearing this. You couldn't just 'hike' there. You had to either take a plane, boat, or swim there. Any of these required large resources, though of different kinds.

If he had gone by boat or plane then that would mean he had a large amount of money. If they swam however, then it would mean that they aren't that well off but have considerable strength, skills, and endurance. They might still have money but somehow she doubted it.

"Father, how old is this Ranma?" Kasumi asked, trying to figure out how badly this could affect her.

Nabiki seized on the chance to question her father again. "Is he cute?"

"Younger men are just so... well... immature."

Nabiki was getting fed up with not being answered. "Well what kind of guy is he?"

Soun chuckled nervously again. He was in quite the predicament with his daughters. _Well, they will figure out one way or another._ "I don't know."

Nabiki couldn't keep the surprise from her voice. "You don't know!"

Soun turned to face his middle daughter, who seemed the most upset about his lack of knowledge. _Maybe she wants this more than the others. Nah! Nabiki just doesn't like not knowing things._ "I haven't met him, as I said before, they have been on a training mission for ten years. The mail I got from Genma before they went to China said that he was a fine and handsome young man though, not to mention a great martial artist."

Nabiki was satisfied with this for now, though she could tell her sisters weren't. Kasumi was still worried and Akane was outright furious with the situation.

Suddenly Nabiki heard a commotion at the door and jumped up, excited. "Ooh! It must be Ranma!" And she went to get the door and greet them, with Soun hot on her heels. "Saotome! My old friend! We've been waiting!"

Kasumi was a little behind. "Oh, I do hope Ranma is older than me."

Suddenly Nabiki and Soun came running back with fear etched on their faces, followed by the largest panda they had ever seen carrying someone with red hair on it's shoulder and holding a well worn travelers pack.

Ranma, seeing the girls and their father terrified, tried to stop her father with words, before she had to do something drastic. "Come on pops! You're scaring 'em spitless. Hey! Do you hear me! I said STOP!" Finally having had enough, Ranma drew a rune in the air faster than the eye could follow and the panda was instantly frozen in place.

Ranma pried herself free and landed gracefully on the ground. She looked up at the Tendos and bowed deeply. "I am so sorry for my father's intrusion. Please excuse our rude behavior. This is the Tendo Dojo, correct?"

Soun stared at the seemingly petrified panda and then looked at the young person standing in front of him. "You wouldn't happen to be..."

Ranma looked down at the ground, embarrassed for arriving this way. "I'm Ranma Saotome, again, sorry about our intrusion.

Nabiki admired Ranma's face and body, though there seemed to be something off. "Wow, he is cute!" That was a bit of an understatement, but was all she could say at the moment. She was quite impressed. He turned out to be polite and gentlemanly if a little rough at the edges and was very good looking, almost beautiful, far more than she had expected.

Soun was excited. "At last! You're here!" Before Ranma could react Soun pulled her into a hug. Ranma's pigtail stood up as she felt Soun tense when he noticed something was wrong.

Soun gave Ranma a couple more squeezes and then stood back at arm length, his hands hovering and tracing a figure that a man should not have.

Nabiki took a closer look at Ranma and wondered how she could have missed the appendages on her chest. Nabiki decided to confirm this and poked them. They were a little bigger than her own! At first Ranma was a little alarmed but then gave her a coy smile. "Umm... I know, they are impressive, but could you not poke them? They are kinda sensitive as you should know."

Nabiki glared at her father. "Ranma isn't a guy! She's a girl!"

Soun seemed dumbstruck by this and barely stammered out "A-a -a girl!" before passing out on the spot.

"Oh my!" Kasumi and the others were instantly at Soun's side and were carrying him back inside the house.

Ranma decided to release the spell on Genma. He immediately tried to attack Ranma until Ranma began drawing another symbol and he stopped in his tracks.

"Yo, pops. Get some hot water and change back pronto and talk to Tendo-san. I'll talk to the girls. Oh, and next time something like this comes up, use your brains, or at least what's left of 'em. I think you may have given Tendo-san a heart attack or something. Now, get moving!"

Genma held up a sign. **"Better not mess this up boy!" **He turned it to the other side. **"This is a matter of family honor!" **He flipped it again, though how a flat sign can have three sides is beyond me. **"We must join the schools, it was meant to happen!"**

Ranma snorted. "Yeah, yeah. The whole heaven and earth styles thing you and your master came up with. I remember. I'll play along for now, but If I can find someone willing to marry me for myself, then I'm outta here. I'm not going to force any of them into this and neither are you."

Genma walked off to find the furo, grumbling to himself about ungrateful boy's thinking that Ranma couldn't understand what he was saying, after all, he was speaking panda. However, Ranma's 'gifts' allowed her to understand any language, whether spoken by bird, beast, tree, or human and others. Shaking her head at Genma's inability to think outside the situation, Ranma proceeded inside to check on the girls and Soun.

She sat next to the girl with short brown hair and the girl with long blue hair and waited for Tendo-san to wake up.

As his eyes flickered open Kasumi sighed in relief that Ranma had turned out to be a girl. Though she felt sorry for her father. "Oh, poor daddy. He must be so disappointed."

Nabiki fired up again. "He's disappointed! He's not the only one! Look at her! Some fiance!"

Akane had heard enough. "Stop it you two! He... She is our guest!"

Kasumi noticed that father had woken up. "Look everyone. Father's coming to."

Nabiki pounced on her father, angry that her hopes had been dashed. "This is all your fault daddy! Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl!"

Soun sighed, more confused now than ever. "I assumed that my friend Genma's son was a boy!"

" Excuse me, does this look like a boy to you?" Nabiki reached over and grabbed Ranma's breast to punctuate her point and began squeezing it.

Ranma didn't let on how good it felt and merely looked at Nabiki with a curious glance. " Are you a lesbian or something? You seem to enjoy fondling me."

Nabiki pulled her hand back and actually thought on this a bit. _Oh well. Might as well take what I can get._ She smiled with a mischievous look on her face.

"Well, we still do have the arranged marriage pact with your family. I guess I'm willing to go bi to save our honor. That is, if you're willing." And she looked pointedly at Ranma, whos jaw was currently touching the floor and everyone else was staring in shock.

Kasumi gasped. "Nabiki! You can't! It's not right!"

Nabiki couldn't hold it in anymore and began laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! You are all too easy! I'm not that desperate."_ Not yet at least._ Though inside she felt that she would have gone through with it if they had taken her seriously.

Akane glared at her sister. "Nabiki, stop teasing her! A guest is a guest!" Akane turned her attention to the buxom young girl. "Hey. Would you like to spar? My name's Akane. Would you like to be friends?" She looked confused for a moment, then her face lit up in joy. She nodded and Akane left with her following.

Ranma was happy to have made a friend already. _She's really nice to me, even though I must have disappointed her by arriving as a girl._

Akane opened the doors to the dojo and Ranma was impressed. "Wow, you keep pretty good care of the dojo don't you?"

Akane beamed at her praise. "Yeah, it is our pride and joy, though we no longer have students. Anyway, you study kenpo, right?"

Ranma nodded. "A little."

Akane smiled. "Well, why don't we have a little match then?"

"Huh?" Ranma was wary of where this was going. He saw that Akane took much pride in her art and that she would expect Ranma to fight her seriously.

"C'mon, just for fun" Ranma nodded and stood across from her.

Akane took a fighting stance. When she saw that Ranma hadn't taken a stance and just stood there smiling, she assumed that she was just hesitant. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Ranma snorted mentally. _It's not me I'm worried about. I'm worried about hurting you._

Akane was slightly miffed that she still hadn't taken a stance and used the anger to power her first blow. Ranma simply jumped over it however.

Ranma saw the gaps in her defenses and training. "Calm down, don't let anger control you, control your anger."

Ranma could see her visibly try to calm herself down. Then she unleashed a right kick, left punch, right punch, and left kick combo which Ranma still dodged easily.

" Stop tensing up before attacking. You're just telegraphing your moves otherwise."

Akane started getting angrier. "What's wrong? Attack me! Take me seriously!"

Ranma sighed. "If you wish." Though she still didn't attack her with his full strength, she made sure her jabs to her ribs, abdomen and back would all hurt and become bruises as he weaved around her next set of attacks.

_She's good. Much better than I am. Better take this up a notch. _Akane thought as she winced from the pain the jabs caused.

"Alright, this time for real!" She yelled and channeled all of her anger into a single strike aimed for Ranma's abdomen.

Ranma jumped over her blow and did a front flip with a barrel roll to land behind her. She noticed that Akanes charge would take her straight into the wall and quickly scribed a symbol in the air. Akane's punch slowed and then stopped before it reached the wall, where it would have put a hole if it had connected.

Akane realized that Ranma just somehow had saved her from destroying part of her dojo and was thankful. She was also curious as to how she did it.

"Thanks Ranma, that would have been expensive. How did you do that anyway? That thing with the air?"

Ranma smiled sheepishly while kicking herself mentally for nearly giving herself away with such an obviously magical effect. "Just a trick I picked up that allows me to control the direction and density of air and wind. I call it Shihai Suru Kooki."

Akane was amazed at her skill. "Do you think you could teach me it sometime?"

Ranma scratched the back of her head, thinking. "Well... maybe. It's a very complicated technique and I had a favorable handicap in learning it, so I'm not even sure if I can teach it."

Akane deflated a little at this, but then perked up again. "Well, maybe when I'm better then. You are a lot stronger and faster than me, and you have a lot more skill. I'm just glad you're a girl."

Ranma stiffened. "Wha?"

Akane saw the confused look and tried to find it in her to tell her why, but it was just too frustrating to talk about. "It's just that... I'm glad you aren't a guy."

Ranma watched as her 'friend' walked away. _Ah, shit. Now she will really hate me when she finds out._ Ranma cursed herself as she walked out of the dojo, too occupied mentally to notice Nabiki hiding in the nearby shadows.

Nabiki had been watching Ranma's fight with Akane and had noticed when Ranma had traced some kind of symbol made of light with his finger in midair. She also noticed that Ranma had been very nervous when she explained away the ability as a hard earned technique. _Yeah right. That was some form of magic or I'll eat Ranma out._ Little did she know that that would eventually happen, but that is getting too far ahead of ourselves.

Nabiki kept a close watch on Ranma until she went into the furo, confirming that she was really a girl before she left her to her bath. She then went into Ranma's room and searched through his pack, unknowingly setting off several spells that hid more precious contents than what she saw. She searched the clothes and noticed that while they were all made of silk and were of very exceptional quality which she admired, they were all made for a boy. She didn't even have a single bra or pair of panties! She also noticed that the 'womans essentials' were not there either.

Nabiki closed everything back up and made sure she left everything as it was supposed to be. She went back downstairs and noticed that her father was sitting across from a man wearing a heavily worn white gi and a bandanna and glasses. She didn't recognize him so she figured that it was some new visitor. She failed to notice that the two were crying copiously. "So that's what happened." Soun said. Genma nodded his head solemnly, too saddened by what had happened to speak. He had not told the whole story. He left it up to Ranma to decide whether or not to tell them the rest. He shuddered as he remembered what had happened the first time and grabbed his suddenly throbbing hand. _Yes, better leave those particular details to the boy. _"The path of a true martial artist is fraught with perils."

As Nabiki entered the kitchen she decided to assuage her curiosity. "Hey Kasumi. Who is that strange man sitting in the living room?"

Kasumi finished getting the ingredients for dinner out of the fridge. "Who knows?"

Nabiki was a little confused. "Huh?"

Kasumi simply shrugged and went to prepare dinner. "Go tell Akane she can take her bath now."

"Ok" Deciding to find out who the stranger is later she went and to tell Akane to take her bath and then headed to her room to think.

Akane headed into the changing room and noticed Ranma's clothes in the laundry basket. "Well, guess we can both take our bath together." And she proceeded to undress...

Ranma took the bucket of cold water and dumped it over herself, washing out the suds in her hair and on her body. She went over to the bathtub and gently lowered herself into the hot water, becoming a guy as the water enveloped his body.

He sat back to think of his problems and became lost in thought. Soon he was roused from his pondering when he felt someone trigger the protections on his possessions. He relaxed soon after as he detected that the person had some skill in magic, but it was untrained and probably unnoticed. All they would find were everyday things, not what he had found and horded over the years and hid from his father.

He didn't hear when the outer door to the changing room opened and didn't hear as the person within it undressed.

_What to do, what to do? Well... They're bound to find out sooner or later, and later would be worse. Might as well go out as I am now. _Ranma stood up right as a nude Akane opened the door. They both stared at each other for awhile and then Akane slowly closed the door and got dressed and walked out of the changing room.

_What, no scream? I would have if I was her and I found some strange guy in the bathtub and I was nude. Then again, different people, different fears._

" AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ranma sighed. _Just had to jinx it. Shit. It's just one thing after another with her._

Ranma got out, dried off, and got dressed as fast as he could and listened as the scream got louder and angrier. He hurried downstairs and reached the outside of the living room just as the scream stopped.

"I'll drown him in the bathtub!" He heard her scream in her fury.

"Akane? What is it?" He heard Kasumi ask. "What's the matter? What are you doing with that?" Ranma wondered what she had decided to use as a weapon against him, then decided he would find out anyway.

"There's a pervert in the bathroom!" Ranma bristled a little at this, but continued to assess the situation.

"Well gee, Akane, Why didn't you just clobber him then?" Nabiki taunted her little sister.

"'cause I got scared! Is that all right?" Ranma silently chuckled at this last remark. He had relaxed his control over his fear aura and didn't have time to exclude Akane from it's effects when she ran in on him.

"Oh, I do hope Ranma's alright. I thought she was in there taking a bath right now." Ranma was touched by this. He decided that it wouldn't be right to hide his curse any longer.

He walked around the corner and entered the living room and saw Akane carrying the dining room table. _Geez, glad she didn't have the chance to 'clobber' me with that thing._

"Excuse me..." He said, getting everyone's attention.

"Who's that?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki looked him over and came to one conclusion. _He's gorgeous! Is this the guy that Akane saw in the bathtub? I would have just joined him!_ Keeping her cool however, was the first priority, to keep her reputation and preserve the family. "Who are you?" She asked in a cold voice.

Ranma sighed and looked at them all. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this..."

A/N: So is it good or is it horrible? Review either way and tell me so. Just so you know, this will not be a RanmaXAkane fic. I'm planning on my signature RanmaXNabiki pairing, though I am open to other suggestions. Tell me what you think and who the incarnate of Garyx should be.

Seras out. Till next time!


	3. Jusenkyo, Fiancees, and Dragons

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic By Seras4545

A/N: Holy Hell! That is a lot of reviews for just one chapter! At least it is for me. Keep reviewing like this and I'll have no end to inspiration and motivation to add chapters. Thanks to all you readers who deemed this lowly story was worth your time! Anyway, I have decided on who will carry the soul of Garyx and kudos to any who can guess the character. Just a hint. The character doesn't have to be evil or even close. Also, who said that they had to hate Ranma or want to kill him? That's just Garyx, not the character.

Chapter 3: Jusenkyo, Fiances, and Dragons

Ranma and his father sat next to each other facing a very curious and, in Akane's case, angry Tendo Family.

_Geez, this is gonna be harder to explain than most things that have happened._ Ranma thought as he flashed an apologetic smile at Akane, who just seemed to get angrier. Ranma frowned, then shrugged. _Her loss, another's gain._ He thought as he looked at the other two, ignoring Akane and tossing her aside as a choice for a fiance. _She just has too much anger. She would probably take it out on me nearly all the time and I would let her get away with it, being who I am. It would help channel her anger away from those weaker than her though._

Soun cleared his throat for his family's attention. "Let me explain. This is my dear old friend, Genma Saotome, and this is his son, Ranma Saotome." Genma and Ranma bowed.

"This is getting more interesting by the minute." Nabiki muttered, though Ranma could still hear her.

"Are you really her? The same girl we saw before?" Kasumi asked, looking more confused than anything.

"I am." Ranma said simply, not wanting to be the one to explain it, as it raised many angry memories.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Nabiki shifted into a more comfortable position and Ranma couldn't help but notice that she had endowments equal to his girl side's.

Genma readjusted his glasses. "It's such a long story, I just don't know where to begin..."

He stood up and Ranma knew where he saw it was easiest to begin. He decided to let it happen as there was no reason for Ranma to start a fight with his father right now. Genma had kept his word as far as Ranma could tell, 'cause if he hadn't then Ranma would be getting a lot more questions and stares.

"Well then! Let's start with this." Genma grabbed Ranma by the shirt and lifted him off his feet and then proceeded to throw him in the koi pond.

Ranma came out spitting water, annoyed that her father hadn't just gotten some cold water and thrown it at her. " What'd you do that for!" Ranma noticed that the Tendos had come to take a closer look.

"Oh my." Was Nabiki's only comment, though she didn't seem as surprised as her two siblings.

"Ranma's... a girl now." Kasumi was only slightly shocked in truth, but she wanted to keep up the facade that she wasn't all that bright for her own reasons.

Ranma grew more irritated as Genma walked up and put out a dramatic air as his voice took on the cadence of a shamed father. "I am so ashamed, I cannot bear to see my son like this." He started crying, and for a moment Ranma thought it was real, but then decided form experience that Genma wasn't that emotional or sensitive of a guy. "Ranma Saotome, you break your father's heart!"

Now Ranma was pissed. _Alright. enough of the sentimental bullshit act, old man. You had this comin'._ Ranma jumped out of the pool and over her fathers head and delivered a swift kick to the back of his skull, knocking him into the pond.

When he came out of the pond as a great panda the Tendos did a double take, finally figuring out where Genma had come from.

"Who are you to talk, huh fur brain? Your curse isn't even human! I'm the one who should be ashamed of a father who actually acts more like an animal than most people!" This angered Genma and they began fighting with each other.

"Father, you certainly have some unusual friends." Kasumi said after a moment of watching the two.

Soun nodded. "They didn't use to be like this though. It was training in China that did this to them. Something terrible happened during a dangerous training exercise. Let's wait until they come back to themselves."

After a little more fighting they proceeded into the kitchen and soon came back out in their original forms though steam was rolling off them now. They sat back down again.

Ranma decided to let the old fool tell the story for now. Besides, he was actually good at telling stories and getting around delicate details without ever indicating that there was something more. Yes... No one better in the art of deceit than one Genma Saotome.

"Ah yes, it all started one fateful month ago"

He continued in his epic storyteller voice. "Ranma and I were voyaging across the ocean to China. We journeyed for many days, and many nights..."

Genma's voice eventually became background noise to Ranma as he drowned in his memory, though not before he heard Nabiki's low comment on how they hadn't much money but she would settle for the great martial art skill...

Flashback - Sea Between Japan and Korea - Actually Over 7 Months Ago...

Ranma and Genma swam against the powerful tides and high waves toward South Korea and their ultimate goal, China. It took them several painful and tiring days to reach the mainland and begin their cross country journey toward the Qinhai Province and the legendary training grounds on the Mt. Quanxing said to be found in the Bayankala mountain ranges there.

When they had reached the shore, tired and beat up, Ranma collapsed on the beach. "Hey pops. Tell me again why we didn't take a boat or somethin' instead of swimming across an entire damn sea!"

His father hit him over the head. "Because boy, we don't have that kind of money! Besides it is useful endurance and strength training. Remember, always turn every experience into training."

"Yeah yeah." Ranma couldn't argue that. They were low on cash currently and it was true that the journey had turned out to be a great test and training device for their endurance and strength and it did keep he and his father from fighting all the time. _Guess the old man does have some good ideas ever once in a while. Doesn't mean I have to like it though._

Soon they stopped resting and continued their journey.

Somewhere Around Two Weeks Later...

They crested the last rise and the valley opened up in front of them, filled with thick fog. They descended into the valley by a well trodden path. As they walked, Ranma felt an uneasy feeling that grew as they got closer to their goal.

They eventually broke through the dense fog and came upon a large area that was filled with hundreds of springs, each with a few bamboo poles sticking out of them reaching anywhere between twenty and forty feet high. There was a well kept hut off to the side from where a portly Chinaman come walking out and greeted them in mangled but understandable Japanese.

"Here sirs, we come to famous training ground of cursed springs, Jusenkyo."

_Finally, took us long enough. _Ranma stretched his shoulders and laid his pack on the ground next to his father's who had already done the same.

"Are you prepared Ranma?" Genma asked while looking the area over.

"Ah man, this place isn't near so bad as I thought it'd be." Ranma shook off the uneasy feeling he had. After all, what could happen in such a peaceful place as this? The pools didn't even seem to be very deep, just a couple of feet deep, though it bothered him that there didn't seem to be any life in them except for the bamboo shoots.

The guide looked at the two visitors with slight anxiety. "Ooh, sirs, you very strange ones no? This place is very dangerous! Nobody uses it now cause over one hundred spring here and each on have own tragedy happen there."

Ignoring the guide, Genma finished his warmup stretches. Ranma felt a surge in his uneasiness however. "Umm... Pops I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

Genma gave him a condescending look. "What are you talking about? It's just some water! What afraid of getting wet? C'mon, follow me!" So saying, he jumped up to one of the higher poles.

Angry at his fathers words and not to be outdone by the fat bastard, Ranma jumped up to one nearby that topped his by a couple of feet. "Right behind ya, old man!"

Ranma ignored the huge surge of warning in his mind and the verbal warnings of the guide.

"Hey sirs! What are you doing! I have not finished tragic story yet! Very bad if you fall in spring!"

Ranma and Genma faced off. "I won't go easy on you Ranma!" he shouted.

"That's just the way I like it!" Ranma shouted back, ready for Genma's attack.

They soon got absorbed in the fight and it seemed they were evenly matched. They rapidly traded blows in midair and gained considerable and unbelievable hangtime. Suddenly Ranma got the upper hand and drop kicked Genma into the pool below. Expecting his father to come out attacking, Ranma jumped back a few poles.

Ranma suddenly clutched his head in pain as memories flooded his mind, memories that informed him of the nature of this place. He fell, unable to keep his balance under the barrage of memories that flooded his vision. Luckily he fell upon dry land and he sat up, still trying to sort out the images.

His father finally surfaced and, unaware of his change, spotted his son sitting on the ground paying no attention to him. Deciding this was a point of weakness he attacked him and knocked him into a pool on the far end of the training grounds.

As Ranma flew toward the pool he finally got the gist of what was about to happen to him. He screamed as he came closer and as he fell in the pool he cursed his idiot of a father. _Pops, when I get out of here I'm gonna kill you!_

Ranma felt the change take place and when it finished he stood up. He noticed that his balance was slightly off and that he was a little shorter than he remembered being. Then he noticed that something was missing... The implications of these combined facts finally hit him and his mind froze.

_Oh kami, please no. Not that, anything but that!_ Ranma looked down at his, now her, chest and noticed the protrusions. He swallowed what courage he had left and opened his gi and looked down. There lay two perfect examples of womanhood, both perfectly shaped with slightly upturned nipples, which Ranma was soon learning, to his dismay, were very sensitive.

Finally, the full knowledge of this place hit her and she knew that there was no cure to this malady. No magic potent enough to control it, no curse strong enough to override it. It was a permanent mark on her soul.

Ranma did the only thing that she could think of doing, she screamed, and blamed her father who was currently looking at her with shock on his panda face...

End Flashback

Ranma snapped out of his reverie as Genma stopped speaking, obviously having already told what he felt needed to be said. Ranma had gotten over his anger long ago during his months of training as a woman, against his fathers wishes that he not act like a girl and that they hurry to the Tendo dojo. He observed the reactions of the girls as they heard the tale. Kasumi seemed only slightly shocked while Akane was openly furious, though with who he couldn't tell. Nabiki showed little emotion and seemed to be keeping her opinions to herself.

"The legendary cursed springs of Jusenkyo, it's true horror has been shrouded in mystery, until now." Soun finished the dramatic story for Genma.

Ranma still had a problem over Genma's stupidity however. "What do you mean 'concealed in mystery'? If pops had been able to understand Chinese then he would have known not to go to a place that was called the 'springs of sorrow' and also had a reputation for being cursed!"

Genma, aware that it had not been the smartest thing to do yet not wanting to admit it, turned on his son. "Ranma! You sound like a girl!"

Ranma dodged this time and grabbed his father's arm and threw him out into the pond. The resulting splash still managed to get him wet, however, and the redhead charged at the man turned panda.

Akane, having heard enough to come to her own conclusions on who was truly in the wrong and feeling sympathetic for the boy turned girl, she charged into the fray as well. "Panda no BAKA!" she screamed as she slammed him into unconsciousness with her mallet. Ranma stared at her and the mallet for awhile.

_That's strange. Haven't seen that before, not even in dragon memories. It looks like it is a construct made of pure ki energy, without using any magic at all. Amazing._ Aloud she said. "Wow, that's a pretty nifty trick. Think you could show me again sometime so I could learn how to use it too?"

Akane beamed at finding that she knew a technique that she didn't. Then she remembered the air technique she had used earlier. "Sure, if you teach me how to use that air control technique you used earlier. Deal?"

Ranma hated keeping the front that it was a martial arts technique but knew it was necessary for now. She smiled at the blue haired girl. "Deal. Oh, and sorry 'bout earlier. I should have at least put the sign up. If it's okay, could we still be friends?"

Akane froze for a moment, thinking. _Well, guess it is mostly my fault. I should have at least knocked when I saw the clothes in the hamper. Why not? Ranma isn't like the 'others'._ Finally she smiled at her. "Of course! I did mean it when I said I wanted to be your friend!"

Ranma smiled in relief, glad she would have someone she could count as a friend here. Akane wouldn't be a choice for a fiance though, there was still too much anger in the girl for them to get along that well. The best they could ever be is friends, or maybe siblings through marriage if it ever happened.

Soun had left a little bit earlier and now came back with a steaming kettle. "So when doused with cold water, Genma here turns into a panda. But when doused with hot water he turns back." With this he poured the boiling water on the prone panda, shocking Genma awake when the transformation and pain hit him at the same time. "Ahhhh! It needn't be quite that hot Tendo!"

Now Soun walked over to Ranma. "When hit by cold water, you turn into a girl. But hot changes you back!" He attempted to pour the water on Ranma, who dodged the boiling hot liquid with a speed that amazed the onlookers. "Hot! Not boiling!"

Soun merely shrugged his shoulders in apology. Then he clapped Ranma's shoulder and turned her toward his daughters, chuckling heartily as he did so. "Well now, your problem isn't so bad after all!"

"Look! My oldest daughter, Kasumi. She's nineteen." Kasumi had a slightly worried look on her face and Ranma knew she didn't like the idea of this at all.

Soun turned her to Nabiki. "My middle daughter, Nabiki. She's seventeen." Nabiki had a thoughtful look on her face and seemed slightly expectant of something. Ranma could feel that she looked on this with some trepidation, but wanted it badly too. She seemed to have a lonely feel to Ranma and her heart went out to her.

".. and my youngest daughter, Akane. She's sixteen." Akane seemed slightly surprised by her father and hadn't yet reacted to this turn of events, though Ranma was sure that she would be very angry and violent.

"Pick any one you want and she'll be your new fiance." Kasumi and Nabiki immediately nominated Akane, though Ranma sensed a slight hesitation on Nabiki's part.

"Akane seems the wisest choice." Kasumi stated.

"Couldn't agree more." Nabiki said with what Ranma could tell was false cheer.

Akane was now growing angrier by the second. "What! You must be joking"

Ranma saw Nabiki hesitate for a second and she could tell this was causing her some pain to do this. _Seems that she wants me for herself, but for some reason is giving me to Akane. Why is that?_ Deciding to take this into her own hands she stepped up and Nabiki stopped what she was about to say.

Ranma looked at them all and finally decided to use her true sight to look at their auras. She saw that Kasumi dreaded being chosen and had a love interest with someone else. Akane was hurt and confused and extremely angry at her two sisters. She wanted nothing to do with an arranged marriage and seemed to have deep problems that she needed to resolve.

Nabiki was a like one of those 3D puzzles to her. Her feelings twisted this way and that, though she could feel that she wanted to be with her more than anything else right now. She felt she was doing the right thing by handing her over to her younger sister bit it hurt her very badly. She was extremely lonely and unhappy. Ranma could also feel, much to her embarrassment, that Nabiki was very attracted to both her male and female sides without discrimination.

She decided to use the authority that Soun had accidentally given her. "Enough of this. Your father said I may pick any one of you, correct?" The girls all nodded, and so she continued. "Well then, I will make my choice and I will tell you why I did not choose the others. I choose Nabiki Tendo, if she so chooses me. If she does not feel the same way, then we may all go our separate ways, our honor intact , for it would be dishonorable to force someone to be engaged to one they have no wish to be engaged to."

She looked at the two fathers, daring them to say otherwise. "Besides, wasn't the agreement to join the two schools?" Seeing their confused nods, she smiled wickedly. "Well, then the engagement isn't exactly necessary, though it would be more effective than the alternative. Technically I could just teach one of the girls our Ten style of the Anything Goes school and one of them could teach me the Chi style. Then the schools would be twice joined and twice ensured. But I'll leave the decision up to Nabiki."

Nabiki was delighted at the thought of being able to take something for herself. She was also glad that Ranma had chosen her not because of honor, for she proved adept at finding a way around the agreement, but because she truly wanted to give her the chance to have her as a fiance of her own free will._ But why did Ranma choose me?_

"What is wrong with my sisters Ranma? Why did you choose me over them?" Nabiki asked, her curiosity overpowering her caution that she might change her mind when given more time.

Ranma smiled at her, glad she did not rush in blindly. "Well, for Kasumi, she doesn't seem to enjoy the idea of me as her fiance very much and it seems she has her sights set on someone else."

Soun immediately ran over to Kasumi and began asking who she wanted and crying that his eldest daughter was finally growing up. Ranma shook her head as Kasumi tried to stammer out an answer and flushed a deep crimson as she did.

"What about me?" Akane asked. As Ranma looked at her she was surprised to see pain, anger, and possibly regret on her face. _Maybe I misjudged her a bit. Got to go carefully with her._

Ranma scratched the back of her head nervously. "Well, mostly because I don't think I could see you as anything more than a friend, maybe a close sibling. Sort of the same as with Kasumi. I can also tell that you have a personality too close to my own and you have some problems that you need to resolve."

Nabiki blinked in surprise. _Wow. I think I may have struck gold here. Not only buff, polite, kind, handsome, and a great martial artist but also very intelligent and observant. She found out thing's about my sisters in less than a day that took most months or even years to find out. Just wanna make sure though._ "And me? What makes me a better choice?"

Ranma turned her gaze to her and she looked into her eyes, noticing that they were a color blue she had never seen before. Then she smiled at her and she just about melted right then and there. Sh_e's got beautiful eyes and a great smile too. Oh Kami, what have you dumped into my lap? She is too good to be true._

"Well, some are things I would rather not state here but most are okay I guess. First of all, you seem to be the only one here not bothered even in the slightest by my curse. I can also feel that you really looked forward to the engagement, unlike your sisters. I feel that we would be a good match for each other and that we would complement each other in ways that most could not. There are other reasons but I would rather not discuss them with others listening."

Nabiki nodded, still captivated by Ranma's eyes.

Ranma was glad that she understood, not realizing her effect on her. "So? Do you want to give this a try? Or would you rather just learn my style and teach me yours?" Ranma hoped that she would choose the former and not the latter.

Nabiki thought it over one more time, finally allowing her business sense to take over, comparing the pros to the cons. She found eventually that the pros far out weighed the cons in this particular matter, that she was getting more than she lost. There was just one thing that bothered her. Now she looked at her father and Genma, noting their hopeful and expectant expressions.

"On one condition Ranma."

"Which is...?" Ranma raised an eyebrow to punctuate his question.

Nabiki smiled. _Glad to find someone who would probably understand me and what I do. Possibly even a partner..._ "That we write up a contract, making this a legally binding. This means that there is no backing out. Also that we agree not to marry till at least after highschool and not until we are ready. Is this alright?"

Ranma grinned. _Smart girl, I may have to watch myself around her. I don't want to give up my greatest secret before I'm ready. Though I'm sure she could keep a secret. I have the feeling that she hides many secrets, her own and those of others... _"Perfectly fine, Nabiki-chan."

Nabiki blushed slightly. _Nabiki-chan, eh? I could get used to it I guess. _"Good. Well, now that that is settled, Ranchan, lets get the papers written up shall we?"

Ranma was startled by her use of her nickname, stirring up old memories that were just out of her reach.

Shaking the feeling off, she nodded at Nabiki. "First though, I have something to give to you." Ranma left. Curious at what she would have to give to her, Nabiki followed. Ranma went into her room and started rummaging in her pack.

Very curious now, as she had already looked through the pack and had found nothing, Nabiki watched in silence.

Finally finding what she was looking for she pulled out what looked like a solid gold ring. Nabiki gasped, thinking of what such a thing could be worth.

Feeling the shock and greed from Nabiki, Ranma frowned. She could tell that the greed wasn't deep set, it wasn't something that was natural to her. "Whatever problems you're having with money, this is not the solution. You could never get it's true worth here anyways."

Hearing this, Nabiki frowned. "What do you mean, true worth? It is just gold isn't it?"

Ranma shook her head. "No. It isn't 'just gold'. What I'm about to tell you stays between us, got it?"

Seeing how serious the redhead was, Nabiki nodded. Ranma stared at her for a moment longer, as if confirming something, then smiled at her. She did something strange, a motion that Nabiki couldn't follow, and the ring changed.

Runes that had not been there before suddenly appeared, as if engraving themselves on the surface of the once smooth ring. She looked on in wonder as the runes completed themselves and started to glow an incandescent blue.

"What is it? How... Where did you get this from?" Nabiki asked, never once taking her eyes from the ring.

Ranma chuckled. "It's a ring of course. Just magically enchanted for several reasons. As to where I got it from... Did you mean how did I get it from a pack empty of anything other than clothes?"

As Nabiki's jaw dropped she started laughing. The laughter was very infectious and Nabiki soon found herself laughing along with her.

Finally getting herself back under control, with only the occasional chuckle, Ranma explained. "I got the ring from an old friend. As for how I got it from an apparently empty pack, father is notorious for stealing, so I developed ways to keep things hidden."

Nabiki instantly knew what she was talking about. "Magic you mean?" She barely caught the flicker of surprise on Ranma's face, but it was there.

"What do you mean? I don't know any m-magic." Ranma started chuckling nervously.

Nabiki sighed. _She's good at observing things but horrible at hiding them. Oh well, not everyone is perfect I guess. _"Ranma, first of all you have to know at least a little magic if you are carrying that ring around. Second, I know martial arts and ki manipulation and I know there isn't a way to hide dead objects like that without you being next to them constantly. Third, I was watching your little match with Akane and while she didn't notice your little bit of magic, I did. Fourth of all, how did you know that I had gone through your things when you were in the furo, other than by magic?"

Ranma stopped protesting, realizing that she had found part of her secret already. _Damn! She's sharp! Gotta spin this in a way that I don't let her know about the rest. Not sure how she would take it. _She started chuckling. "All right, so you caught me. Yes, I can do magic. Just keep this to yourself for now though."

Nabiki agreed, knowing that magic isn't something widely known about and isn't accepted as easily as supernatural martial arts. There would be lots of problems if the wrong person found out about it.

She remembered something then. "What about your promise to teach Akane to do that air control thing? What are you going to do about that?"

Ranma chuckled. "Well, I'm going to teach it to her. If you want, I can teach you too, though you'll know what I'm really teaching you. I can't teach Kasumi though, she doesn't use magic per se, it's more like the power of faith, a cleric if you will."

Nabiki stopped to think this over a bit. She thought of the implications of being able to learn magic and thought it was a good thing overall, though it might isolate her a bit more than usual. She looked at the redhead who was currently rummaging around in her pack again. _Though if I have Ranma, then I don't care. So long as she is with me, I'll be fine._

Ranma found what she was looking for and pulled out a small bag. She turned to Nabiki and offered it to her, smiling.

Nabiki took it and opened the drawstrings and upended the contents of the bag and gasped once again. Out fell three perfect diamonds, along with an assorted mix of Jades, Emeralds, Pearls, and a lone tiny Sapphire with such a deep blue that she was sure it would fetch more than the rest of the jewels.

"They're yours for whatever you want to use them for. Except for the Sapphire that is." So saying Ranma took the Sapphire and touched it to the ring and they both pulsed with an inner light that nearly blinded Nabiki. When she could see again, Ranma now held a ring that held the sapphire in an intricate and complex cage of gold, the runes reformed and dancing around the sapphire, pulsing with an even greater light.

Ranma smiled at her. "The sapphire is still yours, but in a different way. It is an exceptionally rare gem that amplifies magic, called an Angel Tear. This ring will be what signifies our engagement." Ranma grabbed her arm and placed the ring in her palm and put the jewels back in their bag. "Go ahead, put it on."

Nabiki looked at the ring for a bit, admiring the patterns and the blue jewel that matched the color in Ranma's eyes. Then she slowly slipped it on her ring finger. As she did the glow in the runes and the jewel intensified and she felt some kind of power flood her body and run like fire in her blood. Then the jewel flashed brightly and then stopped glowing, and the runes faded away until she was wearing only a gold ring with the sapphire trapped within.

"What happened? Why did the sapphire flash like that?"

Ranma smiled at her and she was surprised to find much more feeling in her smile than before. "It means that I chose one who could accept me for who I am and not condemn me for what I am."

Nabiki was confused. "What do you mean 'what you are'? You're human aren't you?"

Ranma sighed. "Well, for the most part, yes I am human. However, I carry the soul and memories of a dragon."

Normally Nabiki would have laughed at such a preposterous idea. But she looked into Ranma's eyes and saw no mirth, no laughter. Only pain, loneliness, grief, and over all an intensity that told her she wouldn't make something like this up.

Between the long day, learning of a Fiance, then learning that said fiance isn't even exactly human, and the magical shock from the ring her mind and body couldn't handle it and so she promptly fainted.

Ranma caught her before she hit the floor and gently placed her on a nearby futon. Sge watched her patiently with love in her eyes, waiting for her to wake. She had expected such a reaction, yet it still slightly hurt her. _Still.. The ring never lies. If she wasn't someone who could love her despite her many differences and couldn't be trusted with her secret then she wouldn't have been able to bear the touch of the ring, let alone be able to put it on. Well... She did endure a lot today, so maybe it was just all the stress._

So Ranma waited for Nabiki to wake, not even taking the time to go and change back, not wanting to leave Nabiki's side for even a moment...

A/N: Sorry bout the cut off, but the chapter was getting a little long. So tell me what you think and don't hesitate to flame me, so long as it's constructive.

Till Next Time!


	4. A Meeting of Two Sorcerers

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic By Seras4545

A/N: Wow. Thanks for the reviews. First off, I'll continue this fic until it reaches at least chapter 60 or so so don't worry about me discontinuing it. Also, the Ranma pairing is not going to be completely lovey dovey, it will have plenty of 'bumps' that need to be smoothed out. Also, the character who receives Garyx will not necessarily to evil nor geared toward Ranma's destruction. Oh, an for those who don't like the repeats of the canon intro and such... well, it is a needed part of the story to set it up, plus there are plenty of twists to make it subtly (Sometimes not so subtle) different. Also on Ranma, he is still in the 'fledgling' stages of learning magic so to speak. His memories and powers are locked away in his subconscious until such a time as he needs them. Anyway, sorry for the long A/N.

On with the show!

Chapter 4: A Meeting Of Two Sorcerers

Nabiki slowly drug herself up from the darkness, not in any particular hurry to wake up. She buried her head deeper into her pillow, happy that it was so soft and firm and warm... Wait a minute! Warm!

Nabiki opened her eyes to find that she was currently laying on a futon next to Ranma and had been using her breast as a pillow. Embarrassed, she slowly disentangled herself from Ranma's sleeping form and stood up and stretched. She looked out the window and noticed that it was just barely dawn. _Damn, it's way too early for me to be waking up!_

She found that she couldn't get back to sleep however and so she sat down next to Ranma and stared at her. She looked exhausted and travelworn. _Did she stay up watching over me? _Nabiki shook her head in confusion. _No one's cared about me that much since..._ She didn't let the thought finish, unwilling to travel that particularly sad memory lane.

She focused on the ring now instead. It was as beautiful as ever and it even still glowed slightly. _The value of this thing must be immense! The ring itself could probably buy this house and the dojo, but with the sapphire..._ Again she wrenched herself away from her thoughts. Ranma hadn't wanted her to sell it and he had said that she probably couldn't get it's real worth. Besides, those other gems would more than suffice to pay for the mortgage, the repairs and some remodeling, and enough should be left to pay for living expenses for years to come!

Nabiki took out a blanket and pillow from a closet and covered Ranma and placed the pillow beneath her head, taking care not to wake her. Ranma stayed fast asleep however, and Nabiki wondered how long she had stayed up.

She left the room and gently closed the door. She wondered for a moment where Saotome-San had slept then was answered by a snore from the attic. Shrugging her shoulders she headed downstairs and into the kitchen. As she had thought, she was actually up and about before Kasumi even, so the kitchen was empty.

Nabiki started the coffee first, then set some water on to boil for some tea. Since she was up early she decided to do Kasumi a favor and started to get the ingredients for breakfast out. It was not widely known, but Nabiki could cook and was actually nearly as good as Kasumi, she just never usually cooked because she usually never rose before Kasumi.

As she started to pour the rice and got ready to cut the fish she heard a cough from behind her. She whirled to find a now male Ranma standing in the doorway, smiling at her.

"Thanks for letting me sleep, Nabiki-Chan. I really needed it. Would you like some help?"

Nabiki was both embarrassed by his casual use of Chan and was kind of surprised by his offer to help. "You can cook?"

Ranma simply laughed. "Of course! You don't think pops did any cooking, did you? No, I did the cooking, mainly because he couldn't cook an edible meal if his life depended on it. So yeah, I have about ten years of cooking experience under my belt. So, would you like some help?"

"S-sure." Nabiki showed him where the seasonings and other ingredients could be found and then they started making the morning meal. They found that they worked well together, able to turn the motions of cooking into a kind of weaving dance as they moved around each other to do something or other. They had lost themselves to the rhythm and didn't notice Kasumi watching them from the doorway with a beaming smile on her face.

When they finished she finally interrupted. "That was beautiful, you two. I've never seen two people work so well before. You look as if you belong together."

Ranma and Nabiki both blushed at Kasumi's words. Nabiki was the first to recover from her momentary embarrassment.

"Hey sis, why didn't you wake us up? I'm sure Saotome-San would have appreciated being able to sleep in an actual room."

Kasumi's smile became even wider, if that was even possible. "Well, it's just that you two looked so cute sleeping together and you two were both girls at the time so there wasn't anything wrong with it exactly, and you were both obviously very tired so I just let you sleep. Uncle Saotome said that it wasn't a problem and settled himself in the attic." Kasumi's smile grew devious now. "If you want, I could move Ranma's things over into your room and give the other to Uncle Saotome. I'm sure this won't be the last time something like this happens."

Nabiki blushed once again, thinking of the many things that could happen in such a situation. Ranma became as red the hair of his female half as the situation hit him. Nabiki then decided to take her sister up on her offer.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. After all, we are engaged, so it shouldn't make a difference should it?"

Kasumi was the one who blushed this time. "I-I was only kidding Nabiki. If you really want to however, I won't stand in your way. He is your fiance, after all."

During all of this Ranma was turning an interesting shade of red as he continued to be embarrassed. Nabiki noticed this and began laughing, her sister soon joining in. Ranma continued to turn a very deep red and Nabiki decided to have some mercy on him.

"Well, I guess we should set up a pallet for you. Also, if you feel uncomfortable still, you could just change into a girl. That would help right?"

Ranma finally regained control of his thoughts and emotions and nodded as his skin returned to a more normal shade, though it was still tinted a slight red.. "Yeah, I guess that would be fine. You sure about this?"

Nabiki looked at his completely serious face. He was giving her an out at his own expense and she knew it. She had made up her mind however. He could have done many things to her when she had fainted but he hadn't, he didn't even take the time to change back so that he could watch over her.

"I'm sure, Ranma. Hell, we already slept together, might as well sleep in the same room."

Ranma smiled. "Thanks Nabiki. Your trust means a lot to me."

He began to set out the table and Nabiki and Kasumi helped. When the table was set Kasumi thanked Ranma and Nabiki.

Nabiki smiled at her sister. "It was the least I could do sis. After all, it is you who works so hard to keep the house and cook for the family all the time. The least I could do is make some breakfast every once in a while."

"That's true. I have no wish to be a burden on you or your family. Besides, you have something you want to do, right?"

Kasumi smiled at Ranma. "That's right. I want to go to college someday and maybe even marry... But Ranma, you are our guest. You aren't being a burden!"

Ranma shook his head. "That's not true Kasumi, and you know it. If you want to go to college and such, then I'll take up some of the chores, as will pops. Oh, and here."

Ranma dug in his pockets and pulled out two piles of yen and placed them in Kasumi's hands. "This one is for food and lodging. The other is for you to go to college and for anything else you want."

Kasumi stood there in shock for a moment, then tried to hand the money back to Ranma. Ranma simply refused to take it back.

"But you're our guest. You shouldn't have to pay!"

Ranma smiled sadly at her. "Listen Kasumi. Take the money, it's not often I get to help someone like this. Think of it this way, it's my way of repaying the world for the sins of my father."

Kasumi frowned at this, then nodded her head and pocketed the money, accepting his donation. Her eyes then glazed over and she leaned down and kissed Ranma on the forehead. "May you be blessed then, Ranma Saotome. May the Kami watch over you." Kasumi then slumped and Ranma caught her.

Nabiki helped him carry her into the living room and lay her down on some cushions. She then glanced over at Ranma and noticed that he looked healthier and more energetic than he had previously.

"Just as I thought." He muttered with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What just happened, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, a worried look on her face.

Ranma smiled at her, trying to comfort her. "Nothing much, just confirming a suspicion I had and helping someone who needed it. I felt power from Kasumi, but not that of a mage like me or you. That's why I told you I couldn't teach her. She is the favorite of the Kami, a cleric or monk if you will. She unconsciously channels the will and power of the Kami, as you just saw her do when she blessed me."

Nabiki looked at her sister with even greater respect now. "So you mean that it was a true blessing? Is that why you look so much better now?"

Ranma grinned, glad she caught on so quickly. "Yeah, it was a true blessing. Unlike magic, unless you do something that angers the Kami the blessing is permanent. I have more energy and stamina now than I would normally, not to mention other effects that I don't know of."

Nabiki frowned, confused. "What do you mean 'other effects'?"

Ranma mused for a moment, thinking of how deep he should go on how blessings worked, then decided to keep it simple. "Well, like every Kami is different from the other, so are their blessings. They each have their own effects unique to that particular Kami, and since I have not tested it in any way, I have no way of knowing who Kasumi's patron is, nor the effects of the blessing." Ranma heard the other residents of the house begin to stir as the smell of food wafted up to their rooms. "Well, I better wake Kasumi before everyone gets downstairs for breakfast."

Ranma walked over to Kasumi and traced a sigil above her prone form and a glowing light bathed her for a few seconds then faded. Kasumi slowly opened her eyes and rose from the cushions. She looked at Ranma and Nabiki in confusion. "What happened? How did I end up here?"

Before Nabiki could tell her Ranma jumped in. "When we finished setting the table and I gave you the money you fainted. You should really get some more rest Kasumi, it's not good for you to work yourself so hard." Nabiki gave Ranma a confused look and then shrugged her shoulders, deciding to ask him about it later. There was much that he needed to explain.

Kasumi rubbed her forehead, as if she had a headache or something. "Maybe you're right. I have been working a lot lately. Maybe I'll take a break today."

Ranma nodded his head in satisfaction. Just then Akane and Genma and Soun came down the stairs.

"Ohayoo!" Akane said with great cheer. Soun and Genma looked like they had been drinking all night and only managed a weak 'ohayoo' as they entered.

"Ohayoo!" They greeted the stragglers. Ranma then noticed a backpack that Genma was carrying which he threw at Ranma. Ranma caught it and nearly overbalanced.

Ranma struggled to lift the pack. "Hey pops, what the heck is this? It weighs a ton!"

Genma glowered at the boy's weakness but his hangover prevented him from challenging him today. "It's your school supplies and your training all in one, boy. And it only weighs a hundred and fifty pounds! Get used to it, 'cause I'm not gonna have any mercy on you just 'cause you're engaged and are going to school now. It'll be two hundred next week."

_The bastard's relentless._ Ranma thought as he put the bag down next to the wall. He opened it and saw that it did have school supplies but also had various pockets all over inside. He opened one of them and took out what looked like liquid metal wrapped in rubber. What surprised him was the weight, it must have weighed nearly twenty five pounds by itself! He looked around some more and noticed that most of the pockets were empty. _Just how much is this thing gonna weigh when I'm done with this training?_

Ranma didn't care much that he was going to a school. He actually liked school when he went. What really irked him was that no one had even bothered asking him if he had wanted to go or not. "What's this about school?"

Genma knew he had stepped over that invisible line again, seeing his son glare at him. "Well, we are going to be staying awhile. Cheer up boy, school's not that bad. Besides, Nabiki and Akane go there as well."

Ranma still grew angrier. "It's not going to school that I have a problem with pops."

Genma was now confused, his face screwed up in thought. You could literally see the gears grind on for a while and then just fall apart. "It's not?" Was his oh so intelligent response.

"No! It's not! What I have a problem with is others making decisions for me without even asking me or talking to me about it!" Ranma shouted as Genma backed up in fear. Then he noticed that everyone was looking at him in either surprise or fear and he let up a bit.

"Next time you interfere without my knowledge, you know the consequences." Ranma continued in an even, if very cold, tone.

With that they sat down to breakfast. Everyone stayed silent and some still watched Ranma, though it was probably because of the fact that his food was disappearing at an abnormal rate, as was Genma's.

"Umm... You two should probably take at least some time to taste the food." Nabiki said, smiling ruefully. _He might be smart and powerful and polite when it counts, but his manners need a little working on._

Ranma had the grace to look ashamed at his behavior though Genma merely slowed down a little bit.

"Sorry, force of habit. Pops and I always fought for the food and such as training. I'm sure that won't happen here, right pops?" Ranma said as he shattered the chopsticks that were attempting to steal some of his rice.

Genma looked at Ranma and saw the implied threat and decided to leave it be for now. "Right, son. It won't happen here."

Ranma smiled with his little triumphs today at the expense of his father. Ranma knew that he would be in no shape to fight today because of his habit of drinking large amounts of sake whenever he could. The hangover was enough to suppress any will to fight or cause any large noises.

When they finished, Genma and Soun and Akane all thanked Kasumi for the delicious meal. Kasumi shook her head and smiled. "I didn't make breakfast this time. Ranma-Kun and Nabiki worked together to make this wonderful meal." She turned to the couple and bowed. "Thank you very much for the meal."

Meanwhile the others merely looked at them in surprise. They had hardly noticed a difference in the taste or quality, yet it was Ranma and Nabiki who prepared the meal, not Kasumi. They finally remembered their manners and thanked Ranma and Nabiki.

Ranma smiled. "It was no big deal really. I just would like for everyone to help out with the household chores and help Kasumi out every once in a while. I'm not asking for anything dramatic, just a little something here and there will help."

They all agreed, though very reluctantly on Genma's part. When he saw Kasumi's bright smile however, he just couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Nabiki smiled, glad that Ranma had somehow managed to fix yet another part of their messed up family. "Come on Ranma, let's get dressed and ready for school. You don't want to be late on your first day do you?"

Ranma shook his head and Nabiki grabbed his arm and dragged him up to her room. Ranma looked around in confusion. The room was very spartanly furnished. There was a bed, dresser, desk, and bookcase. The dresser and desk had a few pictures on them and the bookcase was filled with manga and a few DVDs and there was a laptop on the desk with some papers scattered around it but otherwise the room was bare. There was also a closet with a large if mismatched collection of clothes.

"Why'd you bring me to your room, Nabs?" Ranma asked, wondering how this was supposed to help him get ready for school.

Nabiki smiled at him then in such a way that he knew that he wasn't going to like this one bit. "Well, when your father told me to enroll you at the school, I hadn't known about your curse quite yet. So, umm, you're kinda registered as a girl." Nabiki finished with an apologetic look on her face.

Ranma knew something like this was going to happen sometime. He sighed as Nabiki led him to the bathroom where he splashed himself with cold water, becoming a she yet again. Then Nabiki dragged her back to her room and began laying out clothes and Ranma was growing redder by the second. When she finally added a particularly lacy pair of panties and bra, Ranma finally put her foot down.

"Nabs, I appreciate this, I really do, nut there is no way I am going to wear a bra and panties! Especially not ones with so much lace!" Ranma instantly regretted her outburst as she saw the pain and disappointment on her face but she was determined not to wear those damn things.

Her determination was short lived, however, in the face of an even more determined Nabiki, someone who is used to negotiating to get her way.

Ranma ended up wearing one of Nabiki's shirts and shorts, as she had refused to wear the uniform, and had ended up wearing some plain panties and a sports bra. She had given in mainly due to her exceptional skills as a negotiator and by her tenacity. She had hooked her with the thought that this would annoy their fathers to no end, particularly Genma. Ranma smiled at the thought, always remembering the jibes of her father calling her girly and weak. Now she knew this would be a source of torment for him. And wouldn't it be fun to prove the lesser half of his complaint false when she kicked his ass to the moon and back?

Ranma actually enjoyed the outfit she now wore, as it was far more comfortable than her normal clothes and fit her rather well considering it had been bought for someone else. It was a form fitting sky blue top which had patterns and swirls of color that ranged from dark blue to an emerald green. The shorts barely covered her vivacious thighs and accentuated her hips and butt. Ranma was slightly embarrassed by how girlish she now looked but was assuaged by Nabiki pointing out that a girl with looks of her caliber should be eager to flaunt herself and that it would look strange if she didn't.

When Ranma pointed out that she had looks to match hers, Nabiki shrugged and went back into her room. When she came out Ranma was breathless by how beautiful she looked. She wore the opposite of Ranma's attire, a top with crimson reds swirled with bright magentas and some yellow and red oranges. Ranma's female half, as she had come to term that bundle of instincts and thought patterns that accompanied the curse, noted with some jealousy that the clothes fit Nabiki much better and showed her body off to it's greatest potential without her being actually naked or using body paint. Ranma pushed those thoughts aside, as it was only normal for the clothes to fit her better, as they were hers.

Nabiki was satisfied with Ranma's look of astonishment and when she came close enough she helped her out by closing her mouth which was hanging open. She winked at a sufficiently enchanted Ranma, who started to snap out of her stupor. "Shall we get going? Or would you rather stay home today? I can think of many ways to pass the time, Ranma-Chan." She said seductively with a mischievous grin.

Ranma was a bit stunned at Nabiki's forwardness until she realized the girl was intentionally teasing her. She smiled at the vision of beauty before her. "Tempted, nabs, very tempted. But I don't think it would be good to miss my first day of school. Maybe I'll take you up on your offer another time." She noticed that Nabiki seemed a little put out at first but when she mentioned later she perked up once again.

She grinned as if she were a cat that had found the cream. "I'll be sure to hold you to your word, Ranma. I'll have something to look forward to at night now, thanks to you. Just stay a girl, 'cause I have plans... Oh yes, I have plans." Ranma sweatdropped a bit at the sight of an eager and, unbeknown to her, aroused Nabiki. She looked very predatory and seemed to have very specific ideas of what to do to her.

_Oh well. Can't go back on my word now. Besides, who knows, it might be fun!_ Ranma thought with resignation. She had no idea as to what an orgasm felt like in a female form as she had never spent enough time to have urges to 'experiment' and when she did she never had the privacy to do so. Ranma was in for an experience that would rock her world, as Nabiki had had plenty of time to develop her 'abilities' and build up her collection of 'toys'. But that is for later...

They went downstairs and were satisfied by the shocked silence that greeted them. Genma was the first to recover. His face grew instantly angry. "Boy! How many time have I told you not to act like a girl! You'll become weak like one if you do!"

Ranma cracked her knuckles and assumed a challenging stance when Nabiki grabbed her arm and drug her out of the room. "We haven't got time for this Ranma. Kick his ass later. I need to be at the school early today."

As Ranma was pulled out of the room she shot a glare at her father. "You heard her. I'll prove ya wrong after school. Be ready to get your ass handed to you, old man, 'cause I'm no weaker as a girl! You can count on that!"

Genma grumbled under his breath at the disrespect of the boy but decided to wait till after Ranma came back to prove who was the master of Anything goes. If he lost then he vowed to give the title to Ranma, 'cause he deserved it if he could stand against the 'sealed' techniques that Genma had stolen from the 'master' and perfected over the years.

Soun came out of his shock after the two had left and nearly started crying. The only thing that held him together was the fact that Nabiki still seemed quite attached to the aquatransexual. He was still confused though as to why Ranma was going to school as a girl and why she was dressed as one as well. Then he shrugged, as Nabiki seemed to be the one who instigated this and he knew better than to butt into her business.

Meanwhile Nabiki and Ranma were making their way to the school, Ranma was of course doing her little fencewalk training. Nabiki looked wistfully at how easy Ranma made it look but knew that it was kinda tough to get that kind of balance. She decided that she wanted to take up the Art again, if only to be able to relate to Ranma better and prove she was her equal in all things. Suddenly Ranma jumped down from the fence and joined her on the sidewalk.

"So, anything you want to know?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Huh?" was Nabiki's intelligent response. She wasn't quite sure what he meant.

Ranma smiled at her slight lapse in concentration. Then he saw the potential for a game of words and wits and his smile broadened. "What I mean is, is there anything you're curious about pertaining to me? How about this, you ask a question and I answer then I get to ask a question and you answer. Alright? You first."

Nabiki nodded, seeing this as a fair deal, info for info. "Well, I was kinda curious about what you meant when you said you were 'repenting' for the 'sins' of your father. And why didn't you tell Kasumi about her powers?"

"I guess I'll answer both as a freebie, but next time it counts as two questions." Ranma said with a smile, then frowned as she tried to formulate the words she would need to explain Genma's unique situation.

"I guess I'll answer the second first, 'cause it's easier to explain. The reason is 'cause the Kami work in strange ways and if they had wanted Kasumi to know about her status and power then she would have known already. If I had told her and that had ruined the Kami's plans then she could very well lose her power and status because of it and I don't want that. It would prove very hard for her and everyone who knows her as it would change her greatly to be suddenly bereft of her gifts."

Nabiki nodded at the reasoning behind Ranma's actions and how it made sense in a way. She waited for her to continue, which she did after thinking for a few more moments. She noted that while she explained she had a slightly pained expression on her face.

"Pops wasn't always like the way he is now. At heart he really is a good person, if somewhat dimwitted and greedy and lacking in foresight. I don't know what caused him to change the way he did, but soon after we had left on the training trip he became cruel, cold, and heartless." Nabiki saw that Ranma had unshed tears in her eyes but didn't stop her explanation as it would help her understand Ranma as a person. She saw her eyes glaze over as she recounted her horrifying experience under Genma's 'training'.

"He constantly beat me at any sign of weakness he saw and he applied ruthless if efficient training methods to me. It was not unusual for me to be thrown off high buildings or hit with boulders to toughen me, nor was it strange for me to be subjected to horrifying techniques in order to learn them. He also sold me often times in exchange for food or money, then stole me back under cover of night. He often stole from those who gave us shelter and tutelage in the Art and we often had to flee under cover of darkness from angry monks and priests."

Ranma sighed and Nabiki could tell that she was near to breaking down, but she continued, swallowing her feelings. "I was ten when he subjected me to the most frightening and forbidden training method of all. The basic instructions were to dig a pit, fill it with starving c-cats, and throw the sacrifice in and seal the hole and not open it for three days."

She wondered at the word 'sacrifice' but stayed silent. Nabiki listened with increasing shock and horror as Ranma related to her the terrible feeling of being literally eaten alive by hungry cats and and used as their scratching post, how Ranma had barely survived and had come out bloodied and nearly driven insane. Her blood ran cold when she heard how Ranma had been beaten by her father for being 'weak'. She listened intently as Ranma continued her story in a flat tone, not noticing that they had stopped completely as she told her tale.

"After a week he was ready to try it again and he threw me in the pit once again, despite my cries and pleas. I was on the verge of giving up and going insane when by some twist of fate and luck, Lethander saved my soul. I don't remember much of what had happened but when I exited the pit I was changed, I had merged my soul with that of a dragon god. I also knew the truth about the 'training'. Originally it was meant as a ritual to bind the souls of a dragon and their chosen partner so that they could become dragon riders, companions, and even mates at times. They assumed the powers and knowledge and abilities of their companions and vice versa."

Ranma's tone became darker then and took on a cold caste. Nabiki was slightly surprised to find that ice was actually forming around her and mist was beginning to rise from her skin. "What pops had used, in full knowledge of what it actually was I might add, was a twisted version of it created by a dark demonologist who had traveled here long ago. It was used to crush the soul of the sacrifice and replace it with that of a cat demon, an unstoppable force of destruction and power once it had a host. If performed correctly the one overseeing it would gain control of the beast and would be able to wreak havoc throughout the world. Pops was no user of magic, however, and had no idea how to bind a demon to do his bidding. He would have unleashed something more horrible and destructive than a hydrogen bomb on this world."

Now Nabiki could see that despite Ranma's best efforts she had begun to cry silently. She continued on as if nothing was happening however. "It took the death and sacrifice of a GOD of dragons to save me from my fate. When I got out of the pit I was ready to rip pops limb from limb but Lethander was still there, within me, but he was growing faint. He saw how pops had been corrupted with some kind of magic and had done... something... through me that got rid of the corrupt power. What pops is right now is the basis of his very being, good and kind, but often gruff and greedy with a lack of thinking ahead. He remembers very little of what had happened between us leaving for training and the incident with the Neko-Ken. After Lethander had worked his magic on pops he had dissipated completely, merging fully with my soul. Well... Merging is not the best way to describe it. More like my soul incorporated what was left of his soul into me, giving me his powers, knowledge, and memories, though most of it seems to be locked away for some reason. In essence, he died and became part of me, all to save me..."

Ranma suddenly had trouble talking and Nabiki noticed that the redhead was now outright crying and couldn't get any words past her tears. Nabiki did the only thing she could and brought Ranma into a comforting hug. Ranma buried her head into Nabiki's shoulder and cried her heart out. When she finally regained control of her emotions Nabiki noticed that she seemed less stressed than before.

Ranma smiled at Nabiki, wiping her tears from her eyes. "Thanks Nabs, I needed that pretty badly. Pops has always said that it was a weakness to show emotion, so I often bottle it up. When I'm a girl though, It's much harder and it seems easier to cry in this form. Anyway, I don't think I can talk about this anymore for now."

Nabiki nodded her agreement. Secretly though, she thought it was a relief to see some emotion in Ranma, for a while she thought that she had left her humanity behind sometime during her training and it had kind of scared her.

They continued on toward the school after realizing they had been standing in the same spot for awhile.

Ranma perked up after a while of thought. "Okay, now it's my turn." And she smiled what Nabiki could only term as a dragonlike grin, so much like a cat's but then again it was wholly different. Nabiki was reminded of common lore of dragons. They loved to twist words and play with riddles.

"Tell me about yourself and your life up till now." Ranma stated with the ever present grin.

Nabiki knew she had been one upped by her. She tried to find a way out and was ready to try her best. "Not fair, Ranma! You said only one question! Not to mention that that was a command or statement, not a question."

Ranma continued to grin and she knew she was going to lose. "Fine. Would you tell me of yourself and your life up till now? It is a fair question and as I answered your first two, it is only right you answer mine now."

Nabiki confirmed that it was wise advice to never bandy words with a dragon, for they loved to play games and twist your words. Then she noticed a loophole in the rules and she smiled her customary smile that told her opponents that they had lost this round. It was a smile she was famous for at Furinkan. "Yes"

Ranma looked confused. "What do you mean, 'yes'?"

Nabiki's smile widened. "I believe it is my turn to ask a question as I answered yours, though I'll answer you for free this time. You had asked 'would I tell you about myself and my life up till now' and I answered 'yes'. Neither you nor I stated 'when' I would tell you, merely 'if' I would tell you." Now she was truly smiling at her triumph as Ranma thought hard for a second.

Finally she admitted defeat, chuckling as she did so. "Not quite fair, but you beat me at my own game Nabs. If you were pops it would have taken him hours to find out how to stop the game. Now that you found the loophole though, it is no longer fun for we could continue dancing in circles forever and never learn a thing except that we are both persistent and stubborn, something we both know and have no need to prove." Ranma then looked at the sky for a second. "Besides, if I'm right we are running late to get to school 'early'." She stated.

Nabiki looked at her watch and noticed that she was right, they were running quite late for her plans. "Shit" she muttered as she started running, with Ranma keeping pace behind her. When she started realizing how out of shape she was and started breathing heavy she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and felt breasts upon her back as she was suddenly lifted into the air. She barely held back a yelp of surprise as Ranma continued to roof hop her way toward the school, soaring through the sky. She saw that they were going very high in the air and she latched on to Ranma for all she was worth. She noticed that she could get a good view however and saw that they overtook her little sister as she ran toward the school from a different direction.

When they arrived, it surprised many students to see two women flying through the air and into an open window, especially when one of them was the Ice Queen herself. When they landed, in what was coincidentally Nabiki's classroom, Ranma stood with the currently frightened girl still latched on around her neck. Ranma started to find it was getting hard to breathe and tapped Nabiki on the shoulder.

Nabiki looked up into Ranma's face and noticed that it was turning into a very unhealthy shade of blue and let go. As Ranma regained her breath and Nabiki settled her nerves, the other students merely muttered a little about the strange sight and then gathered around the windows to watch Akane's daily 'fight'.

Wondering what was going on, Ranma went to the window and watched, fascinated, as a large horde, there was no other word for it, of boys attacked Akane. She saw now why she had difficulty focusing on a single target when she had faced Akane yesterday and why she was so against boys. She observed as Akane laid out the group with effective, if inefficient, brutal and powerful attacks. She was a natural at fighting large groups it seemed, and was at the beginnings of learning a berserker's rage, though it still was able to control her and her actions.

Then Ranma noticed that there was one left and felt that he was no pushover and had a huge advantage over Akane in power and skill and ki reserves.

As she was about to jump out the window and help Akane, Nabiki grabbed her shoulder. Ranma looked at the worried face of Nabiki. "Don't, Ranma. While Akane always wins against him, Kuno is extremely powerful. I suspect that he can do magic too but I haven't seen him actually do anything like drawing symbols or such. I doubt he would take your getting in his way lightly, even if you are a girl. You could get seriously hurt."

Ranma was torn between helping Akane and staying with Nabiki and following her advice. Her choice was made for her as she noticed Kuno throw something at Akane. _The bastard! Attacking without warning! He'll pay!_

Ranma flew out the window and quickly traced a symbol in the air and the object flew into her hands. When she landed she noticed that the object was actually a rose and she dropped it in disgust. She turned to face the young man wielding a bokken. While Ranma's female half observed that he was actually quite handsome, Ranma shoved that part into a far corner of her mind and focused on what was likely to be a tough battle, as she could sense that Kuno did indeed have a strong magical aura she hadn't noticed before.

Kuno threw an angry glare at Ranma which twisted his good looks into a mask of hate. Akane was still standing in shock that Ranma had actually intervened in her fight in order to help her. No boy, even if said boy was currently a girl, had ever tried to help her like this before. Akane continued to stand stock still while trying to process the situation. Nabiki watched as the two faced off and had a sinking feeling that this would end very badly indeed and she hurried downstairs.

Kuno sized up his opponent and decided she was below his level, if but only a little. "Who are you to dare interfere, wench! I warn you, I don't take resistance well. Name yourself, for you stand before the mighty blue thunder of Furinkan high!" With this a lance of blue lightning struck the ground behind him, illuminating the scene with an eerie blue light. "Tatewaki Kuno, age 17."

Ranma noticed that the spell had come from Kuno's bokken and she focused her senses there. What she found was that the bokken held a cleverly hidden sword with runes of power engraved on it's blade. While Kuno could use magic and had probably enchanted the sword himself, his advantage was in not having to actually scribe the runes while in combat.

Figuring this would be an interesting challenge, Ranma laughed at Kuno contemptuously. "Blue thunder? Yeah, right. Well, nice light show, true blunder, but you're going to have 'ta do better than that. I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything goes school of martial arts and I accept your challenge!"

Incensed at the insult to his, albeit self proclaimed, title, Kuno launched his attack without further ado. Ranma easily dodged it and saw the wall behind her shatter. _Shit, I might have bitten off more than I can chew at the moment._ Ranma landed on the bole of a nearby tree and leaped clear once again as Kuno swung at him. Ranma saw the blade leave it's sheath this time and saw as it sliced clean through the tree as if it were made of butter.

Ranma decided to make his opponent even more angry to make him clumsy. "Come on, is that all you got! Man, I was hoping for a real fight. Not this excuse for a samurai."

Ranma had underestimated his opponent, however, and Kuno smiled. "If that is what you want. Now you will see why I am called Blue Thunder. Fare thee well, Wench, give my regards to the Kami of the underworld!"

Kuno then unleashed a vicious attack on Ranma and while Ranma had evaded the blade, if just barely, she did not evade the lightning bolt that was lancing off it. The plasma reached into the backpack that Ranma was still wearing and Ranma was enveloped in a hellish blue glow for a few seconds, her bones lit up for all to see and her pigtail standing on end, her eyes wide open in surprise and shock. Then she collapsed into a smoking and charred heap while Kuno laughed madly and walked off in triumph, completely forgetting about Akane.

Nabiki had just reached the courtyard to see Ranma get hit by the lightning and watched in horror as she was enveloped in the blue strands of plasma and then keel over, smoking, charred, and by all appearances, dead.

Nabiki stood in shock, unable to believe her eyes. Then it started to hit her. "OH... MY... OH KAMI! RANMAAAAAAA!"

She ran over to the redhead's prone form and tried to find any sign of life. She found none, she wasn't even breathing nor did she have a pulse. Nabiki fell to her knees, tears running down her face. Then she turned her face up toward the sky and railed at the heavens. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She then collapsed into tears over the body of her friend and who she believed could have been her lover.

Then the rain began to fall...

A/N: So, What did you think? I'm evil, aren't I? Well, I always liked this style and it suited my mood well. Anyways, sorry for the late chapter, but this one took longer to write than I thought it would. Oh, and I'll start updating TCFC as soon as TDW reaches chapter six. Also, I have yet another story idea to work on but this time I need some help. Please visit the topic RanmaInuyasha AU on the Ranma forums, it's self explanatory there. I appreciate any and all ideas and help from fellow readers and authors.

Also would you please rate me on a scale of 0-10 in these areas, feel free to add any you feel like. Respond with review/PM/IM/or email

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This helps me to evaluate my abilities and trouble areas as an author and allows me to correct myself.

Thanks a million.

Seras Out. Till Next Time!


	5. Dragons, Elves, and All That Comes With

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Well, I'm kinda saddened by the lack of reviews. Was my last chapter that horrible? I got less reviews for ch.4 than I did for ch.1. (Sigh) Well, the story must go on. I'm rather happy with the feedback I got though. Thanks to all who reviewed, especially my fellow authors and readers who rated my skill as an Author. For those of you who didn't review, Please review this time you guys, it helps me get my chapters out quicker.

A/NC: Well, I didn't get as many reviews as I had hoped but oh well. I will be posting another story or two soon and I will try and balance them all out. Hope not too many of you are angry with the lack of updates on TCFC. Please R&R Thank You.

Well On With The Show!

Chapter 5: Dragons, Elves, and All That Comes With

_Oh, Kami no... Please don't take Ranma from me. Not when we just met. Not like this._ Nabiki gathered her courage and strength and hauled Ranma's badly burned body up onto her shoulder, surprised at how much the young girl weighed, not noticing that she had picked up both Ranma and the training pack she was wearing. She could feel blood from her wounds soak into her shirt and she did her best to ignore it as she began to run towards the one person who she suspected had even the slightest chance of saving Ranma.

She ignored all of Akane's questions that she threw at her and flew past her and out into the city. She ran faster than she had ever remembered running before and she marveled that she hadn't tripped and broken her neck yet.

When she started to feel the burning and aching in her muscles she pushed herself to go even faster and ignored the pain and protest in her muscles as she made record time across the ward. She finally reached a local clinic and rushed in past the waiting room and straight into the doctor's office.

She looked into the doctor's alarmed face and eyes that showed surprise. "Please, Doctor Tofu. Help her. You're the only one I could think of..." She pleaded as she fell into darkness...

Tofu caught the exhausted girl before she could cause herself or her friend any more injury. He picked the girl up off of Nabiki and gently placed her on the medical bed and quickly took stock of the situation.

The girl had burns that ranged from minor 1st degrees to life threatening 3rd degrees that showed charred flesh and bone and blood was flowing quickly from her body. In his knowledge she would have been dead if she had been taken to a normal hospital, this was far beyond the miracles of science, at least in this world. It appeared as if she had been struck by lightning, if what the patterns and severity of the burns told him was right.

Nabiki had been right to bring the girl to him, though he would have to ask her about how long she had known about his gift. He removed her outer clothing and the backpack and flinched at the amount of damage that had been done. Her entire back was completely burned off, only bones and some muscle and nerves remained and her blood loss was enormous. The backpack itself was melted and charred mess and Tofu could see a metal leaking out . That is what had allowed the lightning to strike her and had amplified it's strength and hold.

_She'll have scars all over her body and would never look the same again, but if I don't stop the blood flow soon she'll die for certain. I'm not even sure I can save her but I'll give it my best._

Tofu focused his mind and delved into his powers. He had no idea where his power to heal had come from, but it had save many a person in this town before and he was determined to save the girl in front of him now.

He reached out to his patient with his power and received the informational feedback of a lifetime. Not having time to go over what he had learned about this, Ranma, he attempted to begin reconstruction on her skin and nerves and muscles. He was shocked when her body rejected his ministrations and began doing what he was going to do on it's own.

Tofu watched, fascinated, as the girl's bones regenerated themselves, her muscle and nerves knit themselves back together, and skin began to reform. He watched as the body expelled that which it deemed useless and was slightly appalled as it rejected a charred heart and lungs which were damaged beyond repair and glimpsed through the temporary holes they had made on exit that a new heart and pair of lungs were rapidly growing to replace the vital organs.

Tofu observed as the skin closed over all her wounds and sealed together seamlessly, without any sign of a scar._ This is absolutely amazing. Those wounds should have left horrible scarring that went deep into muscle and nerves. What is this Ranma?_

He then remembered Ranma's undressed state and he blushed slightly as he went and got a blanket and wrapped it around her. Then he sat down in a chair and thought about the situation.

Tofu tried to sort out what he had learned with his brief touch of power. He saw many things, though the memories he had helped himself to were scattered and short. One would be of a young Ranma and the monstrous training a bald man applied. Another would be of a juvenile Ranma, defeating her father in combat. Yet another would be of a training ground with pools and bamboo poles.

Tofu noticed that Ranma would be different in a way not possible in many of the memories, one time a female, the other a male. Tofu recognized the image of the training ground from a description from long ago and started sorting through his books. Finally he found an old dusty volume on mythological training grounds and magic.

He flipped through some of the pages until he found the passage he was looking for. Jusenkyo, springs of sorrow, home to some of the most potent magic in existence. It was described as a place that could bestow blessings or curses to those who trained there, though it was more of how it was taken by the receiver of the shape changing properties of one of the springs. It was speculated that the springs were either a game of the Kami, or their punishment for the arrogant humans, as no method has been discovered of curing the malady.

Tofu closed the book and looked at the young redhead now resting comfortably on the bed, breathing and sleeping peacefully. Tofu decided to delve deeper into Ranma, as the curse didn't explain the healing power of her body.

He focused his power once again and this time laid his hands on her arm to stabilize the connection. He ignored the memories for the most part, though some interested him. He went deeper and deeper and suddenly was confronted with the image of a gargantuan blue dragon, seemingly guarding a part of Ranma. Tofu's eyes widened in surprise and suddenly drew his hand back and broke the connection, holding his hand in pain as it spasmed weakly.

Ranma's body was now covered in arcs of blue lightning, it coursed along her body with a rhythm that mimicked a heartbeat. Tofu also was interested in the fact that Ranma was now hovering about an inch above the medical bed and he could see her eyes shuttling under her eyelids. Whatever was happening, was happening within Ranma and Tofu was certain it had something to do with that blue dragon.

Suddenly Ranma's eyes opened and Tofu could see power radiating from them, causing them to glow a fiery blue. Then her eyes shut and her body went limp and she fell back to the bed, the lightning extinguished.

Tofu was about to approach the girl again when she groaned and stirred. She slowly opened her eyes and Tofu saw that the energy that she had previously shown had disappeared.

She blinked several times in confusion and then groaned once again as she sat up and looked at Tofu. "Hey doc, did'ja get the license plate of that truck that hit me? I feel terrible."

Tofu was a little surprised by such a statement, then he began to laugh.

Ranma looked at him, slightly bemused. "What's so funny, doc?"

When Tofu stopped laughing he explained. "Well, it's just that I just saw the one of the most improbable things in the world and watched a girl literally pull herself back together and joke about it."

Ranma smiled, seeing the humor in such a situation. "Well, if you'll get me some hot water I'll explain the whole thing if you like."

Tofu nodded. "I'll get you the hot water, but there really isn't much need to explain. I already have a good idea of what had happened Ranma."

Ranma stiffened in surprise and gave the doctor a calculating look. "Seems you do, doc. Anyways, what is your name? Seems you already know mine."

"Oh. Excuse my rudeness, Ranma. My name is Tofu Ono. I'm the local doctor around here. Anyways, before I get you that hot water you requested, could you give me a helping hand? Nabiki pushed herself really hard to get you here and I'm afraid she did quite a bit of damage to herself."

It was then that Ranma noticed Nabiki slumped against the wall of the office, passed out. She jumped off the bed and traced a sigil in the air that removed the mess from the medical bed. Tofu blinked at such blatant use of magic in front of him but then shrugged, figuring that Ranma thought that discretion wasn't needed here right now.

Ranma then raced over to Nabiki and with tender care picked her up and placed her on the bed. She then looked to Tofu. "You don't need to worry too much doc, I gave her a gift that would regenerate her over time, but if you would give her a helping hand and accelerate the regeneration I would be grateful."

Tofu blinked in surprise for a second, wondering who this really was, then shrugged and began his work. He focused his power and put his hand on Nabiki's forehead. He didn't get as much memories from her because he was used to working with her and her sisters. He noticed that many of her muscles and ligaments were already in advanced stages of healing and that there was actually little left for him to do. He finished up the healing and then let go of his power.

Nabiki stirred then opened her eyes. When she saw Ranma her face lit up and she caught her in an unbreakable glomp.

"Oh Ranma, thank the Kami you're alive! Thank you doctor Tofu, you're a miracle worker!"

Tofu scratched the back of his head nervously. "Umm... Well I really didn't do anything. Ranma did everything herself. Seems she is much tougher than she looks."

She then let go of Ranma and punched her in the shoulder, hard. She had to admit, her punches actually hurt like hell, like a knife in the muscle.

"Ranma, you jerk! You really scared me! I thought you had died!"

Ranma was a little thrown off by her yelling, but she smiled anyways. "Sorry, Nabs. That Kuno guy caught me off guard and I had forgotten to take off that stupid pack that dad made. I totally forgot about it and it acted like a lightning rod for his lightning. That won't happen next time."

Tofu looked at Ranma, sensing a different meaning in her words than what was obvious._ Wonder what she's got up her sleeves._ He thought as he stared intently at the redhead. He left the two alone for awhile to talk while he heated up some water for Ranma.

As he was on his way back he heard them arguing. "... No, Ranma! I'm not going to let you get hurt by Kuno again! Just leave him alone and all will be fine. He doesn't go all out against Akane, just against all others who challenge him. He doesn't care if others get hurt or even die, even if his challenger is a girl."

Tofu looked around the corner and saw Ranma had her fists clenched in anger, though she didn't seem to be angry with Nabiki. He was a little surprised to see tiny sparks and arcs of lightning around her hands, though Nabiki didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry Nabiki, what he did won't work on me again..." Ranma trailed off as she saw Tofu and he entered the room carrying the teapot of hot water.

Ranma smiled, then frowned in thought. "Umm doc, do have some clothes I can change into by any chance? Boys clothes preferably." Ranma told him what sizes she would need.

"Of course, I'll go get them real quick just wait here." Tofu left again and came back soon with a white shirt, blue jeans, and boxers and even a pair of tennis shoes.

"These are some American clothes I got as a present a long while back. I never had the chance to wear them and now they are too small for me. Here, they are yours." He handed them to Ranma who muttered a thanks and left quickly to get changed.

She came back in the new clothes and Nabiki admired how good she looked in them. They were a little big on her right now though as they were intended for her male side.

Tofu picked up the teapot and offered it to Ranma.

She smiled as she accepted the teapot as he offered it to her. She then poured some over her head and transformed into a tall dark haired youth right in front of his eyes. Even though Tofu had read about it, he still wasn't prepared for the shock of seeing a small busty redhead turn into the dark young man standing in front of him now.

Ranma smiled at the look of surprise. "You know, I always get that look no matter if someone knows of my curse or not." He took the teapot back to the kitchen and took some tea packets and set it to steep. He came back in and sat down in a chair with a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the clothes and water doc. It feels good to be a guy again."

Nabiki sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder, glad to be able to be next to him after his near death experience.

"Well, is there anything you would like to know about me doc? You too Nabiki as we have plenty of time now. I don't plan on going back to school today." Then Ranma got an evil look on his face and Nabiki felt sorry for whoever he was thinking of.

"In fact, I don't plan on going to school as a girl ever again. I should probably thank Kuno for that, though I still owe him for hitting me with lightning, I might have survived it but it still hurts like hell."

Ranma proceeded to lay out his plan. "So, I come to the school tomorrow and register as a guy. Then I protect Akane from Kuno. Then I attack him for 'killing' my twin sister, not giving him time to react. What do you think?"

"Just so long as you don't kill him Ranma. Otherwise we'll be sued by his family and they have a lot of money and very good lawyers. Killing him for killing your sister won't make a difference, as there isn't any record of your sister's birth or death."

Ranma looked at Tofu who shook his head. "Sorry Ranma, if I forge those documents then I could lose my medical license. I don't want that to happen as I have prevented many medical disasters here."

Ranma nodded in understanding. "All right, so I won't kill the guy. I really didn't want to anyways. I just want to pay him back for the pain he has caused me and my family and friends. His reign of terror ends, as does his reputation as the 'Blue Thunder'."

"But what if he hits you with lightning again? I don't want to go through this again." Nabiki said with a worried frown.

Ranma was touched that she cared so much, yet they had only known each other for a day and a half. "Don't worry Nabiki. As I said, it won't work this time around. I'm immune now."

Nabiki was confused. "What do you mean you're 'immune'?" She asked.

Before Ranma could explain Tofu broke in. "I think I can explain this. Is that all right with you, Ranma?"

Ranma nodded, smiling. "Go ahead. I'd like to see where you stand on how much knowledge you have of me and what I am."

Tofu nodded his thanks. "Well, for starters Ranma is a very unique creature. On the outside he is almost completely human. His eyes hint at something else though, as does his original spirit before the bonding. Whatever it was, it was a powerful mix. Ranma would have grown to be the best martial artist and warrior of this world."

Tofu cleared his throat and Ranma got him some water. Smiling his thanks, Tofu continued. "After the bonding though, he became something not seen on any plane of existence except the afterlife for thousands of millennium. For his particular mix though, I would bet he was unique in all of existence. His potential is practically unlimited if he can find something to strain his current level of strength to increase it."

"The dragon he bonded with was not only a blue dragon, which has an immunity to lightning based attacks and energy, but that particular blue dragon was a god named Lethander."

Nabiki's mouth fell open in surprise. Ranma graciously closed it for her while thinking of what Tofu had said. _So, I'm not even originally human. Yeah, now that I think of it Lethander had said something of the sort before we bonded but after that my memories of it got kinda scrambled._ "I think I remember what Lethander called me, but my memory of it is kinda fuzzy. He said I was part Astral something or other."

Tofu's face lit up with recognition. "An Astral Deva! Ah, now that explains a few things. Yes, now I understand why he was so drawn to you."

Seeing confusion on both of their faces he elaborated. "Well, an Astral Deva is like an angel. Well, actually they are the origin of the legend of angels. They are the messengers of the creator and after the creator spent himself and divided into the gods of today they became the divine messengers. They possessed the strength to oppose gods and demons alike and handed out swift justice to those who opposed the balance of good and evil."

"They were agile and intelligent creatures, swift of foot and wing. They possessed huge magical powers and had an ability that all forces of good coveted and those of evil wished to be rid of. They could speak the language of creation, the language the creator itself spoke. It invoked strength and hope for those of good and spelled fear, death, and destruction for those of evil. They are the epitome of all that is good, though they have a chaotic nature."

Ranma continued to think for a bit and Nabiki was enraptured by the wealth of knowledge she was gaining because of her fiance.

Then a dark look came over Ranma's face along with what appeared to be pain. Nabiki looked at her fiance with worry. "Ranma, what's wrong?"

Ranma shook his head and the pain seemed to fade away though the dark look remained. When he spoke he seemed older, wiser, and infinitely more knowledgeable. "They were all destroyed millennium ago. The forces of evil, even the divine, rose against them and slaughtered them mercilessly. They rid themselves of the language of the creator, or so they thought. It seems that at least one escaped the fate of their race long enough to breed with another race, allowing the bloodline to continue. After the extinction of the race, forces of good and even those who are usually neutral rallied together and beat the forces of evil into submission. A tenuous balance has remained ever since."

"How horrible." Nabiki said with tears in her eyes. _How could anyone do such a thing? From all accounts the angels were beautiful and radiant creatures. How could anyone bring themselves to destroy such beauty?_ She looked at Ranma's face and studied it. Sure, he doesn't look like any angel that she had seen but his eyes told a different story. They were a blue she had never seen in any person's eyes before. Also, now that she thought about it and focused, she could feel something different about Ranma, something that was not of this world, something powerful and not to be trifled with.

Tofu too was saddened by this story. "So, that is what happened. There hasn't been a record of how they were pushed to extinction, only of their race in general."

"How do you know so much about these things Doctor Tofu? It doesn't seem like it would be common knowledge. Come on, spill it." Nabiki said, determined to find out more about the doctor whom she thought she had known until now.

Tofu was reluctant at first, but after seeing her determined face and knowing about how she pursued knowledge he gave in. "Well, I'm actually much older than I look Nabiki. I have traveled to other planes of existence before and have gathered vast amounts of knowledge, Arcane, Divine, and otherwise all knowledge I could get my hands on."

Ranma felt a spark of interest when he mentioned traveling to other planes but it soon disappeared and Ranma was left wondering why he had felt so excited all of a sudden.

Nabiki looked at Tofu in a new light, noticing slight things about him she wouldn't have noticed before. The slight tilt in his ears, the faint arch of the brow, and his skin which was a little more fair than most she had seen other than Ranma's. She also saw age in his eyes, countless years of wisdom and knowledge.

"Sorry for asking such a rude question but just exactly how old are you, Doctor Tofu? And what are you?"

Tofu smiled brightly. "Not rude at all Nabiki. I expected as much and am more than willing to explain. I am actually around three hundred and eighty-five years old, give or take a few years. I kinda lost count a while back."

Nabiki's jaw dropped once again and Ranma didn't close it this time as his was doing the same thing.

"T-t-three h-h-hundred... How... Why do you look so young then?" Ranma managed to get out after he and Nabiki recovered. Nabiki remained deep in thought over this new discovery. _Figures. Sis likes older men and she just had to pick one of the oldest men alive who doesn't seem to age. Well, maybe that is for the best. Maybe she can feel it and that is why she likes him so much more than others._

Tofu chuckled a bit, pleased with their reaction. "Well first I'll answer Nabiki's second question as it pertains to her and her sisters as well."

Nabiki perked up and looked at Tofu intently. "What do you mean it pertains to me and my sisters? What does it have to do with us?"

Tofu smiled and started his story. "Well, long ago when the planes were still connected with magical portals created by the Astral Devas to make travel easier, many beings traveled the planes freely. During this time though, half breeds were and still are considered outcasts. They were not accepted among pure societies of either side of their parentage as they had features that partake of both. So they traveled to planes were they could find a place to belong and live in contentment."

"During that time two half elves traveled to this plane along with many other half breeds. As they reached this plane they separated to find their own way in this new world. All except for the two half elves. They were close friends and traveled long together, having many adventures along the way. They soon found that humans here did not possess the talent nor potential for magic though this world is unbelievably rich with it. One of these half elven men was Illiadel, your ancestor Nabiki. The other was Chrysian, my ancestor. Along with the blood of these noble races also came the ability to perform magic and harness the powers of the divine, thereby giving birth to magic in this world."

Tofu's face became etched with sadness. "Soon after the last contingent of half breeds had traveled here the Astral Deva's were annihilated and with their destruction the gates lost their connection to the other planes and travel was cut off except for those who could use magic and had found out how to travel. I am one such person. The portal cannot be revived except by an Astral Deva with sufficient power to maintain the connection."

_I'm part elven. Oh boy, this might get interesting._ "So, we're part elven is what you're saying? What exactly does that mean for me and my sisters?"

"Have you ever had a problem seeing in the dark?" Nabiki shook her head. "Well, how about hearing. Have you ever noticed that you seem to be able to hear things that others can't? And also being able to see and smell things perfectly that others have trouble seeing or smelling?"

Nabiki thought back and remembered how she had heard Hiroshi conversing with Daisuke and Saiyuri had said she couldn't hear a thing and how she had seen a hawk flying in the sky and Yuka commented on how good her eyesight was, that she could barely see it as a dot in the sky. Now that she thought of it she was surprised she hadn't noticed it herself. She had senses that others did not, senses that had helped greatly with her activities to help gain money for the family.

"Now that I think of it, yeah."

Tofu nodded, having fully expected this. "Well then, I'll answer two questions at once here. Elves have an unnatural lifespan. You could call it longevity if you want. Elves can live for thousands of years, perhaps even forever as it is rumored that they are immortal beings in the sense of lifespan. They have great senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. They can see in the dark and can see the magical auras of spells. Half elves share these traits, though they seem to grow stronger over time so perhaps full blood elves have even stronger senses than us. It also gives us the ability to use all sorts of magic if we are willing to learn and to put effort into it."

"As to the aging, this will pertain to both you and your sisters as well as Ranma and most creatures that gain longevity. If you are growing up with longevity you will age to your mid to late twenties and then all aging will stop. If, however, you are not born with it and you pass your twenties then your aging will stop at whatever age you attain it at. That should solve some of your worries, eh Nabiki?"

Nabiki had indeed been worrying about how long she would live in comparison to Ranma. How she would grow old and wither away while Ranma stayed young and in perfect health because of his bonding with the dragon. She was glad to learn that they could live together for as long as they wanted, neither aging and dying before the other.

Ranma watched as tension he hadn't noticed drained out of Nabiki and she began to smile radiantly. _She was really worried about that. Maybe I should have told her that I would find a way to gain longevity for her so she need not have worried. Oh well, no use worrying about it now._

Tofu smiled as he noticed Nabiki relax more comfortably against Ranma's shoulder.

"Now, before you two ask me any more questions I have two of my own to ask of Ranma."

Ranma nodded. "Go ahead. I don't have anything to hide. Not intentionally at least."

"First, why did your immunity to lightning not work the first time Kuno hit you? You shouldn't have been damaged at all."

Ranma frowned for a second, wondering if he should tell them. Then he gave in and told them as he told them he wouldn't hide anything from them intentionally and his honor would not allow him to back out.

"Well, it's kinda difficult to explain so I'll tell you the simple version. Basically, Lethander is not yet completely gone. He left something like a shadow of himself to act as a guardian of his power and knowledge. Whenever I have enough need and the guardian deems me strong enough and wise enough not to abuse such a power or the knowledge that comes with it, I will gain that knowledge or power. Basically, I have to grow into the power of the blue dragon god. I can feel that I have yet to touch even the tip of the iceberg that his powers and knowledge are. I am barely even digging in the snow above it."

Tofu nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yes, well, that makes sense. He was the guardian of life after all. He would make sure that his power was not abused. Well then, for my second question. What exactly does Nabiki's ring do? And how did you make it?"

Nabiki payed closer attention as she was curious as to what it could do herself.

"Well, I'll answer the second part first. I didn't make the ring. The elder of the Chinese amazons, the Joketsuzoku, did. It was made with several intentions in mind. First it was used as a match maker sort of. It would determine if the one who gave the ring and the one who received it would be a match for one another. It was also made to protect the wearer and all the wearer considered their friend from evil and evil intent. That was the extent of it's original powers."

"Original powers?" Tofu asked, a look of excitement and confusion on his face.

"Yes. During my training mission with my father after the failed Neko-Ken, I had come across a strange sapphire among other jewels. I could feel power radiating from within it and how it was in sync with my own heartbeat. I told Nabiki that it amplified magic and it was the truth, just not all of it. It seems that it is a particularly rare jewel that synchronizes itself with the soul of a dragon, it's real name is Dragon's Heart. When someone wears the jewel and is a match for the dragon, it will link them and bestow a portion of the dragon's power to them. When combined with a piece of jewelry that already contains magic, it will take that magic and amplify it and build upon it. So whatever powers I gain, she will gain. That process also works in reverse, it's a partnership and the road goes both ways. Whatever powers she gains I will also gain. The powers we gain from each other will not have the same strength as the original powers, but they will still be strong. For example."

Ranma grabbed hold of Nabiki's arm and she wondered what he was going to do. She was surprised when lightning began arcing off his skin and crawled up hers. She nearly pulled away when it touched her skin but then she stopped. It didn't hurt her at all. In fact, it nearly tickled.

Ranma let the lightning fade away and smiled. "You see, Nabiki is also immune to lightning. If she concentrated she would be able to produce lightning as well, though it will be a little harder for her than it is for me. The same would be true the other way if she gained a power that I don't have and I tried to use it."

Nabiki smiled at this discovery, impatient to try it out herself. Though she was kinda ticked that Ranma had tricked her, but then shrugged it off. After all, he couldn't go telling every potential fiancee that he was part dragon now could he?

"Ranma, would this have worked for any dragon or part dragon, for any jewel?" Nabiki asked, curious as to how it worked.

Ranma shook his head. "No. Every time a Dragon is born or a part dragon, a jewel forms nearby and syncs itself to that dragon's soul. There is only one for any dragon or dragon hybrid. I have no idea how Lethander's jewel got here on this plane."

Tofu cut in again. "I can answer that. I've read about these Dragon's Hearts before. They are truly remarkable magical artifacts and many have tried to replicate them and their effects but have only been able to make pale imitations. When a dragon travels to a different plane, whether as a body or spirit, the jewel travels to that plane as well. Therefore it is available should the dragon ever need it or if a suitable bond partner finds it. They are truly amazing as they give jewelry more enchantments than they should be able to hold. Even the most high quality jewelry can only hold three enchantments at best."

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Hmmm... well that explains that."

Tofu looked at his watch, noting how late it was. "Well you two, I think you should get back home, it is getting fairly late and I bet Kasumi will be getting worried about now."

Ranma and Nabiki looked out a window and noticed that the sun was beginning to fall towards the horizon and the sky was beginning to darken.

Nabiki immediately stood up, dragging Ranma with her. "Oh my gosh, you're right Doctor Tofu. We should get going. School has been out for a while now. I wonder why Akane hasn't visited yet?"

Ranma and Nabiki walked towards the door and Tofu stopped them. "Just a minute Ranma. I've got a suggestion. If you feel like exploring your powers and knowledge and gaining more try meditating. That should save you the pain of sudden input and should save you from the lack of reaction time."

Ranma smiled in understanding. "Thanks doc. That'll really help."

They walked out the door and then Ranma suddenly stopped and smiled.

"Ranma what are you stopping for? We need to get home quickly or Kasumi will get worried."

"Hold on, I think I can get us there really quick. Just stand close to me and hold on to my arm." She did as he said and she watched as he moved his other arm in a circle around them and runes appear in the air. She noticed that this time he didn't have to write them and was glad for it as she could see from it's complexity that it would have taken quite a long time.

When the circle was complete she felt a sudden pull and her vision blacked out for a second. She blinked and her vision returned. She was shocked to find that they were now standing in the living room of the Tendo house.

"What? How did we get here?" She asked, her brain not comprehending how they had traveled so many miles in less than a second.

Ranma chuckled. "Well, I didn't use this ability till now, but it was one of Lethander's favorites. Once you get to know a person or place well enough you can use Sokuza No Yusoo, or Instantaneous Conveyance, to take you to wherever they are. It can be quite useful."

"No kidding. This will give us tons of free time. That's really cool Ranma. Think you could teach it to me?" Nabiki asked, hopeful.

Ranma smiled. "No need. I just recently learned it so you should be able to use it as well with a little focus. Though I'll have to teach you spells I learned a while back. Those weren't transferred."

Now that Nabiki focused on it she found she could recall the spell perfectly, along with quite a few others that would be useful as well. Then she thought of something. "What will happen if I don't know the person or place well enough?"

"Nothing. The spell will fail. You'll lose a little energy because of initiating it but you'll be fine otherwise."

Nabiki let out a sigh of relief. "What about the lightning thing? How do you use that?"

"Just concentrate on it or think of something that makes you very emotional, it doesn't matter what that emotion is though. If you are getting emotional and don't want it to show up just concentrate on it and it won't. For now, just concentrate. Emotions are too hard to control and it would be useful to be able to do it at a moments notice without having to use them or having to concentrate too hard. It will get easier the more you do it."

Nabiki did as he told her and concentrated. After a while she felt a tingling sensation all over her body and she opened her eyes and say that her body was dancing with blue bolts of energy. Then she heard a gasp and saw Kasumi standing in the doorway and she immediately lost her concentration and the lightning faded away.

"Oh my! Nabiki are you all right?" She said as she ran up to Nabiki and looked her over for injuries.

"Nabiki's fine Kasumi. It's just a little trick I taught her." Ranma said, trying to calm her down.

Kasumi looked at Ranma and her skin paled as if she had seen a ghost. "Ranma-kun... You're all right! Oh thank goodness! Akane had come home saying you were very badly hurt and dying when Nabiki ran off with you. She had gone looking for you two at the hospitals but none had ever even heard of you. Where did you two go?"

Ranma sighed. "It's a long story Kasumi. Let's wait for Akane to get back and then we'll explain."

Kasumi looked a little disappointed but then her face brightened again. "All right. In the mean time would you like something to eat? I bet you're hungry because Akane said you two left your bentos at the school."

Ranma smiled. "You bet! Thanks a million Kasumi!"

Kasumi left and came back in with a tray loaded with sandwiches and some bowls of ramen. They all ate in silence and Nabiki was surprised at how much Ranma ate. He ate a good half of the food there. Nabiki was also astonished by her own appetite, she ate a very large portion of the food as well while Kasumi only ate a little. _Must be because of all the running I did and being linked to Ranma. Haven't done that much running in a long time and never when carrying someone._

Soon after they were done eating and cleaning up they heard Akane come in.

"I'm home Kasumi! I couldn't find those two anywhere. I sure hope they are alright." She said in an exhausted voice. She came in the room and didn't notice Ranma and Nabiki standing off to the side.

"If she's alright she better not be doing anything to my sister or I'll..."

Ranma chose this moment to speak up. "Or you'll what, Akane? Hit me with your mallet?" He asked with a smile on his lips.

Akane turned and saw Ranma and Nabiki standing there with identical grins. "Ranma! You're all right, thank the kami! But how? I mean, you were very badly burned and now you're standing here without a scratch!"

"All right, guess Tendo-san can find out for himself and pops already knows most of it and what will happen. Let's see... Where should I begin...?"

Ranma and Nabiki proceeded to tell the tale and the story stretched late into the night...

A/N: Wow, wasn't expecting for that scene to turn into a whole chapter! Oh well, now you know much more about how this whole thing is going to work. As to the changes in D&D system and history, I intend on making the story much more original. So what do you think? Great, good, bad, worse? Please review so I can tell! Thanks for reading!

BTW: Sorry bout the late post but my heart wasn't in it so much after the lack of reviews so it took longer.

Seras Out. Till Next Time!


	6. New Life, New Fiancee, New Ranko

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Whew, school really kills all my free time! Hope to be able to get all my stories up to date before starting the next few stuck in my head. Hope that I stop thinking of new stories or I may have to start asking other well known authors to take them up for me. Anyway, Hope you guys like this chapter!

Chapter Six: New Life, New Fiancée, New Ranko

"Hmm... Where to begin." Ranma said, scratching the back of his head in thoughtfulness as Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane waited for his tale. Ranma thought for a minute on what exactly he should tell them, then decided that what he had told Nabiki earlier would suffice for now. No use disclosing all of his secrets...

Thirty minutes later...

"... and so here I am." Ranma finished watching his audience. Nabiki seemed bored, disappointed even. Akane had a look of surprise and some disbelief. Kasumi seemed to take it in stride, even the info that she and her sisters were part elven and that Tofu himself was part elven. Ranma smiled at her lack of any radical reaction. Nothing seemed to faze her and he liked that about her.

Akane was a different story however. "Hey, wait a minute here. You're telling us that not only are you not even fully human and bonded to the soul of a dragon GOD, but you are also telling us that we're not even human either? Come on!" She looked to her sisters for support, confident that they would have the same reaction. When she saw that they seemed to believe every word of it her confidence deflated and she doubted herself.

Ranma kept his face dead serious. "Everything I said is the absolute truth Akane." _Maybe not the whole truth but all of it is the truth._ Ranma thought as he watched some emotions wash across her face.

She shook her head. "C'mon Ranma, this is a bit much."

Ranma sighed, then thought of a different approach. "Look, Akane, what if I taught you magic? Would that convince you?"

Akane thought it over a bit, not quite sure what to make of the situation. Then she realized that he had offered her that ability to control something which not many get the opportunity to learn and control. Besides, if what he had said was true, then mostly only non-humans could use magic on this plane. After working this out she nodded, accepting his offer.

Ranma grinned once again. "Good, we'll start with the air control technique first."

He nearly laughed as he saw the look on Akane's face. "You mean, it's not a martial arts technique?"

"Nope, that was magic."

First she frowned, realizing that Ranma had hidden the truth from her when he had told her he would teach it to her. Then she smiled, deciding that he had his reasons. "Great! When can we start?"

Ranma smiled an eager smile. "Right now. But first I must ask Nabiki a favor." He turned to Nabiki who gave all her attention to him. "Could you possibly arrange to have the female Ranma Saotome labeled as deceased?"

Nabiki blinked, obviously surprised at his request. "Well, yeah, I could. It wouldn't be too hard. But why would you want to do that?"

Ranma grinned and Nabiki could swear she could feel the evil in it. "I've got a plan. How do you think Kuno would react if I showed up claiming he had killed my dear twin sister?"

Nabiki got some of the plan but still could not see where he was going with it. "Well, first he would deny it, then he would attack you for claiming that he did such a thing. His family will be able to cover up most of the evidence. Oh, and if you seriously hurt him the Kunos would feel no remorse in suing us for all we have."

Ranma nodded, thinking his plan through even further. "You wouldn't happen to have a tape of that particular incident would you?"

Nabiki nodded, though she was frowning as she did so. "Yeah, but it got fried in that little lightning storm that Kuno threw at you."

Ranma blinked, and then waved it off as if it were a minor problem. "That's no problem, I can restore it. So long as it caught enough of the incident to incriminate Kuno."

"That's not going to be enough, Ranma."

He smiled at her now. "Would the badly burned and charred body of my sister be enough on top of the tape and the witnesses from school?"

"How..." Nabiki began before it dawned on her. "You're going to create the body of your female half with magic?" Seeing his nod and his proud smile she felt warmth suffuse her body. Then she thought of a problem. "Can you make it have the same DNA as your female half? Also you might need to find a way of hiding it's magical origin, else Kuno or his relatives may find a way to discredit it."

Ranma thought this over, realizing the amount of work he would have to put into his little plan for revenge. "Yeah, I should be able to. It'll take a bit more effort than I had previously thought though. Anyway, could you kill my female self and enroll my male half please?"

Nabiki looked a little put out. "What about the lessons in magic? I want to learn too you know." She said, slightly childlike.

Ranma smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry. I'll give you a private lesson if you want. I need to spend more time teaching Akane however as it will take her longer to learn than it does you."

Nabiki frowned at him, but decided to do what he needed her to do. Though she was determined to turn these private lessons into something more 'entertaining' later. She grinned with that thought and walked up the stairs to her room.

Ranma was slightly disturbed by Nabiki's smile as she left, though he couldn't quite put his fingers on why though. He turned to Akane who was also looking in the direction her sister had gone with some surprise and confusion. He got up and cleared the area he would need for her lesson as she watched him.

"Now, time for the lesson in magic." Ranma said and Akane watched entranced as Ranma traced several symbols of light in the air. She saw a feather materialize in the air before her and float down to the ground and also saw that Ranma now held a stick of what appeared to be chalk.

"What's that for?" She asked, curious.

"The feather is for a target for your magic" He said as he got up and began tracing symbols on the wooden floor in a circular fashion. Akane was instantly furious that he would write on the floors of the house and when Ranma saw her anger he gave her a look that told her to keep her silence and watch. He knew what he was doing.

When he finished and stepped inside the circle and connected the first and last symbols she saw the circle flare with light and then settle to a soft glow. He sat across from her and smiled.

"Good. Now that" And he pointed at the circle. "Is a barrier. It not only keeps things out, it also keeps things in. You are to not practice any of the arcane arts outside of this barrier."

"What about Nabiki?" She asked.

"She does not need this particular precaution. Because of her link to me, she will find that she will automatically know how to control her magic and keep it from spilling over and harming the area around her. Now, you have learned how to meditate right?" She nodded and he continued. "Well, this is close enough I suppose. Close your eyes and empty your mind. Think of nothing and feel nothing. Breathe in for a count of seven, hold for a count of seven, and breathe out for a count of seven."

She did as he asked and Ranma called out the pattern for her. She soon entered a trance and Ranma observed as a surprising amount of power welled out of her and filled the barrier, with her as the nearly too bright to see center. Ranma leaned forward and traced a symbol over each of her eyelids and then leaned back.

"Now, open your eyes." Akane did so and when she saw the aura around her she gasped and nearly lost her concentration. She regained it quickly and the glow of her power steadied.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice filled with wonder.

Ranma smiled. "That, Akane, is your magic." He stayed silent as she continued to look at her magic in awe. When her attention finally came back to rest on Ranma he was satisfied to see that she kept a firm grip on her anger. _She really is something else. Seems as if her anger problem had dissolved over night. Her concentration is nearly unwavering. Even Lethander would have been impressed with the amount of control she has, she nearly makes it seem effortless to keep up that state._

"Now, I want you to attempt to pull in your power, to contain and concentrate it. Try choosing a shape or object that appeals to you the most and pull your power into that object in your mind. Be that object."

Unquestioning, she closed her eyes yet again and he could see her at work. He watched in amazement as her power slowly but steadily reigned in. When she was done he saw that her power had taken the shape of a rose. He smiled at that, figuring that she was much like a rose, beautiful yet with a sharp tongue and short temper as her thorns.

"Good, now watch me." Ranma said. When she had opened her eyes and refocused on him he was again amazed that her power did not even show any sign of flaring out or losing control. She watched as he gathered light to his fingertips and traced a symbol in the air that did not fade this time and noticed that she barely even saw a flicker of his own power, though she did get a feel of the depth of his power and was frightened of it. Though she could feel her own power as a previously untouched raging inferno within her, the amount of power she felt from him when he traced that symbol was mind boggling. He made her own power feel like a candle flame in the middle of a tempest.

"Now, gather only a little of your power to your finger tip to create the light and trace that symbol in the air. As you do so pay attention to how you guide your magic, you'll know what I mean when you do it."

Akane had a little trouble this time and struggled to regulate the flow of her power. First the light was too bright and then it was too faint. She slowly increased the power until her light matched Ranma's then slowly drew the symbol in the air in front of her, only having minor trouble and mistakes. As she did so she felt pulls on her power and she could feel the general direction her power was being aimed. She nudged it over to aim at the feather and finished the symbol as she did so. Suddenly she felt slightly drained as a small vortex of wind appeared above the feather and instead of levitating it as she wanted, it tore it to shreds.

Before the vortex went to find a new target Ranma made a slashing motion and Akane suddenly felt most of her energy return to her. The vortex wound down and then disappeared. Akane looked at Ranma expecting to see disappointment but instead found pride and a smile on his face.

"That was really good Akane. A little too much power in the spell but otherwise very good." He stood and rubbed out a part of the circle and the symbols flared once more and then dissolved into dust that was quickly picked up by the wind.

Akane stood up and felt like a boiled noodle, her body felt weak and unbalanced. She staggered a bit but then caught herself. _Is this going to happen every time I cast a spell?_ Akane wondered and looked to Ranma who was watching her with a grin on his face.

"Don't worry, you'll get stronger and a little more used to it. It will affect you less and less the more efficient you become at controlling how much power you put into your spells. Once you put only enough into the spells to do what you want then it won't affect you at all." He reassured her.

As he passed her on his way out to the dojo he gave her a beaming smile. "You should be proud of yourself. You nearly mastered in a couple hours what takes most a week at least to learn." Akane felt pride and a sense of accomplishment well up within her. "… Even me." She heard faintly as he walked outside, and she knew that Ranma was containing his jealousy at how she had apparently learned this faster than even he had.

She felt her pride fill her nearly to bursting and she had to do something to put her newfound pride and confidence to use. _Hmm… I know! I'll cook some dinner for Ranma! I'm sure that Kasumi would let me help at least a little._ Having decided on a course of action she proceeded into the kitchen with a smile on her face.

Not knowing the potential doom that Ranma would soon face, he walked calmly near to the dojo, enjoying the feel of the sun on his body and taking joy in the beautiful blue sky.

He chose a patch of grass that appeared softer than the rest and was a little way from anything else and sat down in the lotus position. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing…

If one approached Nabiki's room one could hear the sound of furious typing. Nabiki was currently creating a file for the decease of Ranma's 'sister' . When she finished she let out a sigh of relief and satisfaction leaned back in her chair, looking at her handiwork. "Finally. Took longer than I thought it would. Now, I wonder what Ranma had in mind when it came to the body." She just had to see this little trick. She was sure that Ranma and Nabiki were done with the lesson since she could no longer feel the barrier that Ranma had erected.

She had noticed that lately she was becoming more and more sensitive to act of magic and even recognized the type of spell and magic being used at times, like with the barrier. _It's almost instinctive to know these things. Must be an effect of the bond between us._ She thought, and smiled at how easy it would be to for her to learn what Ranma knew of magic. She had an almost ravenous need to gain knowledge and the power that comes with that knowledge. Ranma would give great knowledge and power indeed.

She got up and crouched next to her bed and pulled out a box from under her bed. She pulled the lid off and searched through the piles of tapes revealed to be within it. When she found what she needed she pulled out a partially melted tape that most would have thrown away as impossible at trying to recover the data from it. But she had kept it as a reminder at the least. Now it would serve a useful purpose.

She left her room after putting the box away again and went down the stairs. She looked around and saw a little bit of dust on the floor and a small mark on the wood. She leaned closer to investigate and saw that the dust was very light and was being blown away quickly. _That's the remainder of Ranma's barrier._ She looked closely at the mark on the wood and saw that a small gouge had been made by something that was spinning very quickly. _Was this what Akane did? She's always so destructive and violent. Hope she learns better control when she gets stronger or we may not have a house or dojo soon._

She looked into the kitchen and saw her sister Kasumi cooking contently, seemingly unaware of what had gone on inside the dining room. Then Nabiki groaned silently as Akane stepped into view. _Oh no! Hope she doesn't screw it up again, otherwise we'll have to call hazmat and takeout again._

Then she felt a power rise from behind her and she nearly cowered from the sheer amount of it being exuded by whoever controlled it. She turned and walked outside and saw a sight that nearly set her heart to beating in panic.

Ranma was floating above the ground, surrounded by a nimbus of blue lightning that arced across his body and flared out at his surroundings. She nearly thought he was being struck by lightning again but saw that it was radiating from his own body and it wasn't causing any harm to him nor his surroundings. She let out a sigh of relief.

She took this opportunity to examine him and marveled at how well muscled he was and how cute his face was even when meditating. He also was amazed at the sheer amount of power he was exuding just from meditating. Then she noticed that he wasn't exactly meditating and that the lightning was doing something after all. She watched as a small amount of lightning drew up some dirt and stone and piled it all in front of Ranma. Then a small sliver cut a tiny piece of flesh from Ranma, the hole sealing itself soon after. Then a new arc of Ranma's power created some water in midair which floated down to and was absorbed by the pile of earth and stone along with Ranma's flesh and blood.

The pile began to writhe as if alive and reshaped itself into a female human form and began to glow slightly. Nabiki could just barely make out the features at first but as they refined on the slowly forming body she recognized the body as that of Ranma's female half.

When the body had fully formed Ranma's eyes shot open, though they weren't his normal eyes of sapphire hue. They had turned a dark thundercloud gray and the pupils had turned to slits, like those of a cat.

She could hear Ranma chanting under his breath and the chant seemed tantalizingly familiar to Nabiki, like the word that was just on the tip of one's tongue but forgotten in the moment.

Nabiki watched, paralyzed both by the power Ranma exuded and by her own curiosity and fascination, as the lightning arcing around Ranma's form coalesced into a ball of condensed blue energy which Ranma took into his hands and placed over the chest of the body then seemed to press down on it. The energy was quickly absorbed by the female's form, infusing it with vibrant color and life as it spread throughout her body.

The color and texture of the earth gave way to soft pink flesh, lungs began to rise and fall as she took in breath for the first time, her eyes opened to show intelligence and knowledge and cunning behind the piercing blue iris'. She was female Ranma, given life and a soul.

Ranma's eyes slowly returned to normal and when his eyes refocused on his work he smiled with pride and some emotion Nabiki couldn't interpret. Nabiki had no idea how to react or respond to the situation. She had not expected in her wildest dreams that Ranma would create a living being with apparently it's own mind and soul.

When a breeze flowed through the yard and the girl shivered Nabiki was brought back to herself and she went to the clotheslines that Kasumi had hung early this morning and grabbed some of her own clothes and brought them back to the girl.

She looked up at Nabiki with a curious gaze then seemed to remember something and smiled.

"Thanks Nabiki. It is kind of breezy back here isn't it? Besides, I think Ranma would be more comfortable if I put some clothes on."

Nabiki nearly dropped the clothes but the girl grabbed them before they could leave her hands and she looked over at Ranma.

He did indeed seem nervous around the nude girl and had turned a light shade of red, averting his eyes from her. Nabiki was both amused and jealous. _Why is he embarrassed? She is his creation isn't she? Made of his own flesh and blood? Why did he even create a living person in the first place? And how did she know who I am?_

Nabiki also noted how the girls voice sounded like Ranma's when he was in his cursed form, though it was lighter, less rough and more sophisticated, more natural.

She walked over to Ranma who was watching her while the girl dressed. He smiled at her in gratitude.

"Thanks for lending her some clothes Nabiki."

Nabiki looked at him closely and noticed that he seemed pale and was covered in sweat, as if he had run a few hundred miles and fought a fierce battle at the end of it. He leaned against the wall of the dojo and was breathing kind of hard.

"Ranma, are you alright? You seem kinda beat."

He looked at her and grinned.

"I'm fine Nabs, just gotta catch my breath a bit. That took more outta me than I had thought it would, but Lethander wouldn't leave me alone about it."

"About what Ranma? What is she? Who is she? Tell me, please, before I die of my curiosity."

Ranma drew in a wearied breath. "Well, it's a spell that Lethander had created, but had never had the chance to practice himself. One that creates a brand new life, building a body for it and housing a soul within it. Though this was slightly modified, though I don't know how, he didn't explain exactly what he changed about it. And, as to who she is, I have no idea. She will decide that herself."

The girl, finally finished dressing, walked up to them with a knowing grin on her face. Suddenly she leaned forward and kissed Ranma full on the lips. Nabiki's eyes widened in anger and jealousy, while Ranma's widened in surprise and shock.

The girl withdrew with a wide smile on her face, a satisfied one Nabiki noticed with growing anger.

"The name's Ranko, and you are mine, Ranma."

Before Ranma could respond to this, Nabiki finally exploded on the impudent girl.

"What do you mean he is yours! He isn't something you can own! Besides, he is engaged to me!" Nabiki shouted.

The girl looked briefly surprised. Then she gave Nabiki a measuring glance. "Is he now? Well, I guess that does complicate things a bit." Then she smiled as a thought hit her. "How about we share him? I'm not too opposed to that idea."

Nabiki was about to respond when she was interrupted by a loud thump from the side. They both looked to see Ranma face down in the grass. What alarmed them was the fact that he wasn't moving at all.

They both rushed over to him and turned him face up. Nabiki sighed in relief when she felt a pulse and could feel his breathing. She glanced over at the girl on his other side.

"Let's talk this over later, agreed."

Ranko smiled at Nabiki. "Sure, agreed."

"Good, now help me get him inside."

They both dragged the unconscious Ranma inside and up the stairs as the sun set on the second day of his stay at the Tendo's...

A/N: Well, hope you like it. I kinda rushed this chapter a bit, but I feel it came out all right. Hope you enjoyed this new twist in Ranma's life. (BTW: Ranko is a creation of Ranma's but is not genetically related to him. She just took the form from his cursed side and a few other thing's from him. She is essentially unrelated to him except having been created by him.) Well, I think that I will start on other projects now, so I hope you like them when they come out as well.

Seras Out. Till Next Time!


	7. The Blue Thunder VS The Blue Dragon

The Dragon Within

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Really, I am sorry for the late updates, but I'm getting back in my groove so I should be able to push a few chapters out before I get into a funk again because of school. Oh, and for those who had trouble with the understanding of True Seeing, it is the act of seeing beyond the surface. So it would allow Ranma to see past most illusions and also to see the aura of those around him. Hope that clears up some confusion.

On with the show!

Chapter Seven: The Blue Thunder Versus The Blue Dragon

o0o

Ranma woke to a pounding headache, feeling as if he had the hammers of Thor using his brain as an anvil. He opened his eyes to find that it was pitch dark in the room and that was when he decided to get some more sleep, feeling quite drained. Besides, he was comfortable and had a warm blanket and soft, warm pillow. When he began to burrow deeper into the blanket and pillow however, he noticed that the pillow didn't have as much give as a normal pillow should and that it was a little too warm... Not only that, but he found he couldn't move that much as he found something warm blocking his movements on both sides and he began to panic a bit.

_Okay, okay. Calm down Ranma. Think this through. Just make a little light to see what you've gotten yourself into._ He thought rationally. He tried moving his arms and found that his right was the only one unconstrained. He quickly traced a cantrip in the air and slowly a ball of light encased his right hand. What it showed him caused him to have a nosebleed and nearly pass out again.

On either side of him lay well endowed women who were entangled with him underneath a rumpled blanket. What's more, the thing that Ranma had thought was a pillow turned out to be a breast of the girl on his right, who he recognized as the girl he had created.

"Geez, just what the heck did I get myself into?" Ranma muttered, as he tried to find some way to extricate himself from the potentially incriminating position. He nearly laughed at the irony of it all though. This was something out of the perverted fantasy of just about any ordinary guy's dream, a situation that any guy would kill to be in. Ranma had the feeling, however, that this may become very troublesome if he let it continue.

After several unsuccessful attempts to untangle himself, he finally traced another cantrip that levitated the two girls and smoothly changed their positions so that Ranma could get up and out of the room. It wasn't until he was out and in the halls and felt a draft that he noticed, quite embarrassingly, that he was practically naked, only wearing his boxers. _Dang, just what did those two intend to do? And people say guys are perverted..._

Deciding he had pushed his luck a little too much with untangling himself from the two girls, he opted to create some new clothes rather than risk waking them up. He traced several sigils in the air and looked them over, then decided to add a few to define the clothes and give them a few special properties, such as the ability to enlarge and shrink to fit his form. When he finished he enacted the spell and he immediately felt the drain on his mana reserves and nearly passed out again. _Damn, guess I should wait to do any serious magic again._ He thought as his power stabilized and the spell took effect.

When it finished it's work he was clothed in black form fitting pants made of a stretchy material and a green shirt with encircling blue and gold dragons that laced up the front made of the same stuff that adhered to his form. _Nice, it's like wearing a second skin, though it does a little bit better at hiding the indecent parts. Maybe I should get into making clothes or something..._ He thought as he looked himself over, seeing that it looked pretty good on him. It was also very flexible, allowing for full range of movement.

He then walked down the hall and headed down the stairs to get something to drink. He noticed a light as he got closer to the first floor and saw that it came from the kitchen. He peeked inside and saw that Kasumi was up and making breakfast already. He watched for awhile as she chopped some onions up and noticed the fluid and precise movements and knew that in cooking, Kasumi was a cultivated expert.

He decided to offer his help, after all he still considered himself a freeloader. He walked into the kitchen and waited for Kasumi to notice him. After a couple of minutes though it was obvious that she was too absorbed in her work to notice him unless he did something.

"Hey, Kasumi, watcha doin' up this early?" Ranma asked after a few more moments.

Kasumi jumped in surprise and then yelped when she cut her hand on the knife. As soon as Ranma saw the blood he ran over to Kasumi.

"Are you alright Kasumi?" Ranma asked, panic in his voice.

"Yes, I think I'll be fine. The cut isn't too deep." She said a little shakily. Ranma heard a little sadness in her voice as well and decided to do what he could to help.

"Here, let me see." Ranma said as he took Kasumi's hand and examined the cut. It really wasn't all that serious, but it would leave a scar. Ranma also took notice of all the other scars on her hands, the price a true culinary chef must pay in order to become as good as she was. And that was why she was also sad, the scars were numerous and crisscrossed all over her palms, making them slightly rough.

Ranma checked his reserves and found that he should have a little more than enough for what he planned. He looked into Kasumi's eyes and saw her nervousness.

"May I?" He asked, feeling that he should ask permission of her before using any magic around her.

At her slight nod and smile, he concentrated and drew some sigils over her palm, pouring power into the spell. The cut healed quickly and sealed up without a trace. Then his true gift showed through as the scars that she had accrued over the years began to fade and sink into her skin, returning to normal, healthy, pink flesh.

"Oh, my." Kasumi whispered as she saw the scars disappear as if they had never been. He then motioned for her other hand which she silently placed in his palm, still in awe of what he could do. He then repeated the same process with that hand as well, leaving her hands without a single mar, as complete and soft as the day she was born. He released her hand and she stood staring at them in fascination, as if not daring to believe they were her own.

Then she surprised him by enveloping him in a crushing hug. "Oh, thank you Ranma-kun! You have no idea how much this means to me! How can I ever thank you?"

Ranma smiled, happy that he had done something good for her. "Well... How about you let me cook the rest of breakfast?"

"Oh no, I couldn't, I mean you're a guest and..." She stopped when he raised his hand.

"It's alright. I like cooking anyways. Besides, I know quite a few interesting recipes because of Lethander."

She didn't look like she was going to let up, but at his mention of recipes he saw a spark of interest in her eyes.

Ranma decided that he could at least keep her from doing all the work this way. "How about I teach you some of them?"

Kasumi still tried to keep up her resistance, but her curiosity of what kind of recipes a dragon may know got the better of her.

"Well, alright, you win Ranma-kun."

Ranma smiled, glad he had won at least that much from her. He finished up the dish she was making

and gathered the ingredients he would need to prepare his own.

Kasumi watched with great interest as Ranma prepared some strange dishes, asking questions on some about how they were proportioned with other ingredients and how long they would last as leftovers and such. She helped set up the table and poured the tea that she had prepared during his cooking, dishing out some coffee for Nabiki as well.

Ranma took a vial out of his supspace and poured some of the slightly glowing liquid in it into the coffee. When he saw Kasumi's look he elaborated.

"It'll give her the energy she needs. Those who can use magic require... different kinds of sustenance than normal people, or we become quite unhealthy and if left untended too long we could die. Thankfully, normals here found one of the more potent restoratives to be to their liking. While not quite enough for an active mage, coffee has enough potency to keep someone like Nabiki healthy and energetic. Now she will find that using magic will not exact a heavy toll on her. I've also put some restoratives into most of the food, so you can expect everyone to be rather energetic today."

For good measure he poured some into Akane's tea as well. She had started her exercises in magic and probably wouldn't feel too good after it. He then drained what remained in the vial himself, feeling the warm liquid rush into his body, infusing his limbs with more vitality than he had felt in a while. He knew that drinking that much concentrated ether in one go would have side effects later that he would ave to contend with, but he would need it in order to be up for his overdue battle with the 'true blunder'.

He put the vial away in his pocket and helped Kasumi clean the kitchen while they waited for the others to get up and come down for breakfast. Just as they finished they heard the first of the slumbering inhabitants of the house wake up. This person revealed himself to be Soun, who appeared to be a morning person as the only sign that he had been asleep was his hair which was slightly tousled.

"Morning Kasumi." He said as he yawned and began to sit down at his place at the table. Then he noticed Ranma standing at the other end of the table and smiled.

"Well, morning Ranma. Glad to see you up so early. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much, Mr. Tendo. Just woke up early and found Kasumi down here making breakfast and decided to lend a hand. As you can see, I've added my own little touches."

Soun looked at the array of food before him and had to admit that many of them looked slightly exotic, and something about their smell was a little nostalgic to him, though he had never seen or eaten food of this kind before.

"Yes, I can see that. Thank you for helping Ranma, it all smells wonderful."

"Well, thank you Mr. Tendo, I was just trying to find some way of helping, what with my father and I being freeloaders and all."

"Oh, not at all Ranma! You and my friend Genma are our guests! Not freeloaders!"

Ranma shrugged, deciding to let him have his say. "Well, it's a matter of perspective I guess. At the very least, I will be a helpful guest."

Soun looked as if he was going to argue a little further but then decided to let Ranma have his way. "Well, if that's how you feel."

Ranma nodded. "It is."

Just then the rest of the sleepers started coming down, most drawn by the smell of food, one by the smell of coffee which smelled even better than usual today, and the last was drawn by the presence of Ranma.

They all arranged themselves at the table for the meal, Ranma finding himself between Nabiki sipping her coffee with sounds of deep satisfaction escaping her every once in a while, and Ranko, who just stared at him with her oddly disturbing eyes that seemed a little off from his own, even when he was in girl form.

"Well, lets eat then, shall we?" Ranma uttered nervously.

They all looked upon the food and noted how it was different from their usual fare. Akane took a serving of a dish that looked something like a mix between enchiladas and coffee cakes and bit into one.

"Oh my, this is really good Kasumi! You've outdone yourself this time! What kind of food is this?" She shouted out when she got over the ecstasy caused by the wondrous flavor.

"Well, I didn't cook it, sis." Kasumi said, looking flustered that someone could make food that tasted so much better than her own.

Akane looked confused by this statement. "Well, who did then?"

"Ranma did." Kasumi stated simply.

"WHAT?!!" Everyone with the exception of Soun, Ranko, and, surprisingly enough, Nabiki shouted in surprise. Nabiki simply gave Ranma an appraising glance and then continued to sip her coffee, the color of her skin and eyes improving as she drank it.

"You mean, he did all this?!" Akane exclaimed. _OH GREAT! YET ANOTHER THING HE IS GOOD AT THAT I'M NOT... _

Ranma could see Akane's face turning an angry red and hurried to diffuse the situation. "Don't take it too seriously, Akane, I had a great teacher who happened to be a master chef in his region." Not to mention that the chef was a mind flayer and had used the richness of his cuisine to lure humans and other beings to their death and that Lethander had 'extracted' the skills from it, but Ranma wasn't about to tell Akane that.

Akane looked little mollified by Ranma's statement, but settled down and went back to eating the rather elegant breakfast. Soun looked at Ranma inquisitively, but left the subject alone. Nabiki was another matter though.

"So, what was this chef like? And what were his favorite dishes?"

"Um... well, lets just say that he had a rather unique taste and diet, but that he was great at serving others and catering to just the right tastes that brought the most people possible. As for his favorite dishes, again lets just say they were unique and not something most people would want to eat and leave it at that shall we?" Ranma said with a sickly grin, which told them that they really didn't want to know. In truth, Ranma would rather have not known what a mind flayer ate either, but once you knew what it's race was called, you pretty much knew. Mind Flayers eat brains, the older and more filled with memories, the better.

They all ate the meal in silence from then on, and when they finished everyone thanked Ranma and Kasumi and went about preparing for the start of the day. Ranma went and engraved some protective charms and wards into his new clothing, making sure that they would be protected from damage, especially from lightning. He may be immune to lightning now, but whatever he was wearing didn't happen to share that protection.

"Hey Ranma, hurry up! Me and Ranko are ready to go!" Akane yelled from downstairs.

Ranma sighed as he put the last touches to his clothing, then walked downstairs, wondering how he was going to explain to witnesses about his 'sister' and her fight with Kuno. _Ah, screw it. I'll let her figure that one out. After all, she has all my memories and training, so she should be good at making up a good story._ Ranma decided, not wanting to deal with it right now.

"I'm coming! Jus' one sec!" Ranma replied, grabbing his schoolbag which was not filled with metal this time thankfully. Now it was filled with actual school supplies and had a few potions within that would help with healing and mana regeneration, just in case.

He hurried downstairs and joined Nabiki, Akane, and Ranko to walk to school. Kasumi bid them all farewell and handed them bentos for lunch, making sure to tell Ranma to be careful in his fight with kuno.

After assuring Kasumi that all would go well, they set off for school at a normal pace. At least, normal for Ranma and Ranko. Ranma scooped up Nabiki and Ranko grabbed Akane and started roof hopping toward the school, making very good time, Though Ranko had a little trouble with Akane as Akane wasn't used to being handled in such a way, whereas Nabiki simply cuddled in closer to Ranma's chest and listened to his heart beat, reveling in the feel of his body against hers, glad to have had the good fortune of meeting him and being able to be forward in her desires for once.

They reached the school all too soon however and she reluctantly let go of him, though Akane seemed glad to escape the grasp of Ranko, who seemed to have enjoyed the challenge of keeping her from falling. Akane was about to tear into Ranko for manhandling her when she suddenly stiffened, as did the others, when they felt the tingling sensation of magic at work.

Ranma turned to face the direction of the source, as the others stepped back except for Ranko. Everyone who had been around and had witnessed Ranma and co's arrival stopped their gawking and retreated to a safe distance as Kuno approached, wearing traditional samurai armor, though with strange etchings on it, and three different swords on his person. The sword he had used when he last faced Ranma and one that all the other students were familiar with as his kendo sword. A wakizashi that looked even more deadly than the katana, despite it's smaller size, and glowed a faint light blue with a purple tinge. Then there was the monster on his back, a Dai-Katana, nearly his own height in length, that was the true power that everyone was feeling and made Ranma frown with worry. The katana he knew he could handle, the wakizashi would complicate things, and the armor was yet another obstacle to overcome. But the Dai-Katana held a power that made the hairs on Ranma's neck stand up, one that made the magical aura's of the other three artifacts pale as a candle flame in front of the sun.

"What is this feeling?" Akane asked, the combined magical auras causing her to kneel down under their pressure, the ether too heavy for her own growing abilities. Nabiki also showed some strain, though she remained standing, if with some considerable effort and force of will.

"It is the feeling of a magical force greater than your own. The kendo sword with the hidden blade is charged with lightning element magic. The wakizashi is just as dangerous if not more so, as it is enchanted with Vorpal, a magic that if a successful attack is made and you don't have enough magical resistance will literally rip you apart, and will permanently remove your head. If it is strong enough it could even kill a god. The Dai-Katana is the most dangerous however. I have no idea what magic infuses it, but it is truly powerful. Even Lethander isn't able to identify it, though in the viewpoint of the gods he was very young and so he doesn't know everything about all the magical artifacts in existence, especially since he was a god of only one plane of existence. All I can say is that I hope I can take Kuno down before he has a chance to use it."

Nabiki and Akane shuddered as they heard the doubt and worry in Ranma's voice. Ranko was also frowning in worry.

Just like everyday, as Kuno approached the sky darkened as clouds rushed in to fill it and turned an angry black with strobes of blue-white lightning flashing down. This time however there were also strange swirls of energy that could be spotted in the clouds, spread great distances apart.

"Just as foretold in the prophecy! So, it is time for the unveiling, eh? Come Saotome, you foul demon ridden sorcerer, I, Tatewaki Kuno, ascended god and descendant of angels shall destroy you and your impure demoness." With this outlandish statement Kuno drew the hidden blade with speed far greater than Ranma remembered.

_Prophecy? Ascended god? Descendant of angels? What the hell? Is this guy on crack or something? And what is he talking about, calling me a demon ridden sorcerer? I'm a mage, not a sorcerer and I would not stoop to consort with demons. And I can't let that remark about Ranko pass either. But hell, there goes our plan of accusing Kuno of trying to kill my sister and ridding the world of him altogether when he attacked, but oh well, this works just fine too. Now we can say that we were defending the school from his obvious insanity._

But there was one thing he needed to clear up to sate his curiosity. "What Prophesy do you speak of, Kuno?"

Kuno scoffed at the knowledge that even his opponent did not know of the prophesy. "As foretold in the scroll handed down throughout my divine lineage: On a day of lightning and thunder, a fair maiden with flame red fair will appear. She shall be struck with lightning and be as dead but on the next day shall reappear with her master at her side, appearing as if no harm had befallen her. On such a day, a conflict will occur between one with divine angelic blood and bearer of a god and one who is to become a home of demons. The world will be torn asunder by the demon lord, and the gates will be opened by the avatar of chaos. Thus shall the war begin." Kuno said with a smirk.

"I shall destroy you before you are able to destroy this world, and I will do so with the divine power handed to me by my lineage." Kuno suddenly disappeared Ranma was just able to dodge the blade of lightning that he now wielded.

_Damn, this is only the second fight I've had with this guy and he is already pulling out all the stops. But if this so called prophesy is true then I have more reason to end this fight early, for the house of demons will be Kuno. I already know that I am part angel, and have a god residing within my soul. This could be really bad._

Ranma decided to pull out all the stops himself and started to release the seals on his power just as Lethander had taught him. As Kuno attacked Ranma started to gain speed, dodging the attacks that he launched with ever increasing agility. He could see Ranko doing the same as him, and could see the slight glow that suffused her skin. When she looked up at him he shook his head in a negative. He didn't want anyone else getting involved in this fight. She frowned but nodded, she did not close her seals however.

Ranma leapt backwards from a slash from Kuno, his speed no match for Ranma's anymore. Ranma rushed in and grabbed hold of the lightning blade, absorbing it's powers for his own, and shattered the now worthless blade. Kuno leapt back from him, a scowl on his face at the destruction of his favorite weapon and at the knowledge that lightning would not avail him this time around.

He drew his wakizashi and the unearthly glow of it's virulent energy bathed him in a light blue glow. The energy pulsing from it informed Ranma that if that thing lands on his neck then this will be his last fight.

Kuno rushed in with even greater speed, a red glow appearing in his eyes as he roared his defiance at Ranma. Ranma used the power he had just gained to build a blade of lightning himself, and blocked the dangerous blade, the energies of both blades crashing together, creating a spectacular light show with coruscating colors as the two spells clashed for dominance. Ranma dodged to his right as he felt his spell fail, the vorpal just barely grazing his left hand. The blade itself had missed thankfully, though his entire left arm was numb and he couldn't move it. Blood dripped from a very large gash in his hand, one that exposed veins and bones and muscles for all to see.

Kuno cackled with glee at this small victory, assured that such a crippling blow would allow him to defeat him. He rushed in with little thought and paid dearly as Ranma slammed his right fist into his armor, discharging the lightning he had been gathering into it during Kuno's charge. Ranma felt bones break in his right hand as his fist met the protective spells engraved into the armor, though it broke through and shattered kuno's armor and stunned him with the debilitating effect of the electric charge.

Ranma used the counterforce of the protective wards to put some distance between him and the now dazed Kuno. Using his chance, Ranma reached into his backpack that he had discarded at the beginning of the fight and grabbed a powerful restorative potion and drank it all in one go. He would pay for it later, but he had to focus on this fight as Kuno seemed to be getting stronger rather than weaker after each successful hit Ranma made.

The potion went to work and Ranma could feel his body mend itself and felt his depleted reserves become replenished. He straightened as he felt the energy spread through him, just in time to dodge Kuno's next attack which had become even faster.

_Crap, I guess destroying that heavy armor wasn't the best idea, now he's even faster._

Ranma opened a hole to the contents of his bag of holding that he had gained during his travels and pulled out a sword that had been a gift of one of the trainers at a Buddhist temple that he had visited. It was a fairly powerful artifact in it's own right, being made to fight demons, but after Ranma was done with it, it had become a holy force to be reckoned with.

Ranma awoke it's powers, knowing that he would need them in this fight. He felt the enchantments take effect and used his hastened speed to attack Kuno, smashing full force into his Vorpal blade. Once again there was a cascade of of light as the spells fought for dominance, but this time Ranma's prevailed and Kuno's sword was banished from this realm by Ranma's sword.

Kuno frowned at the difficulty he was having. Wasn't he the divine chosen one? An opponent such as this should be no problem for one such as he. Yet it seemed the gods favored him more than himself. He had no choice then. To prevent the catastrophe that was foretold, he would even sacrifice himself. He drew the blade from his back, seemingly as light as a feather to him. The blade that had been handed to his family by a god years ago, one that granted the user unlimited power for a short time before his life was snuffed out and the soul was crushed by the power. In order to defeat this fiend, he would take the suffering of the world upon his shoulders, and if he should survive then the beauteous Akane would be his at last.

Kuno raised the sword to the sky and gripped it double handed in a style of offering that Lethander recognized.

_**NO! That is a summoning foci! Ranma, stop him!**_

"Behold, the divine sword Ashura! Ashura, as defined in our contract with the god, Garyx, I offer my soul unto thee, in return for ultimate power!" Kuno shouted to the heavens. Ranma tried to attack him to interrupt the ritual, but was thrown back by the forces that now swirled around Kuno.

Kuno was bathed in a miasma of black clouds, shrouding him from Ranma's sight. But Ranma could feel the power of the magic building upon Kuno and knew that he had to find someway to stop the summoning. But before he could do anything, the clouds were blown apart and were Kuno and the sword once were now stood a man with blood red hair, blackened skin, and fire red eyes. His body was thin, almost to the point of being gaunt, but the muscles of his form seemed to vibrate with power.

_**...Garyx...Damn! I knew he wouldn't be killed that easily!**_

Ranma could feel the power behind that being, and knew that as he was now he was outclassed. But he had to do something, in order to protect the others...

Nabiki was terrified. The force the being radiated was overwhelming. And she could see even Ranma quivering before it. She couldn't have moved even if she could think to try. All she could think of was Ranma.

The being materialized a sword that had an onyx hilt and ruby blade and raised it above his head.

_Ranma... no... don't..._

A point of energy formed at it's tip and the being swung downwards as a blade of iridescent red energy flew from it.

_No..._

Ranma raised his sword to block it, the energy crashing into him with the force of a tidal wave. Nabiki watched in horror as Ranma's sword wavered, then fell and he was enveloped in the energy. There was a flash of blue light, and then an explosion. As the dust cleared all that remained was a crevasse that extended down into the depths of the earth. Of Ranma, not even a grease spot remained.

_No... No... Not again... this can't be happening... _

Nabiki fell to her knees, the pain in her head and heart too much to bear and curled in on herself, trying to comfort herself.

"Hahahahaaaa! Finally! It is done!" The fiend roared in victory. Then he turned his attention to the world around him.

"Hmph... What a useless place. I think I'll get rid of it." The fiend plunged the sword into the ground and cracks began spreading outwards. Those closest to him were instantly incinerated by the heat rising from the cracks, their ashes falling into the rising blood of the planet.

Nabiki watched in fascinated horror as some of the people she had known all her life disappeared in mere seconds, whole webs of her life that anchored her in reality ripped apart. As one crack raced toward her all she could think of was Ranma, and her family.

_Ranma... Akane... Kasumi... everyone..._

As she felt the heat touch her a flash of blinding blue light enveloped her, and then all she knew was darkness...

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A/N: So sorry for not posting for so long. Work is very tiring lately. I'm trying to finish a chapter for each story, all in varying states of completion. Hope you like this little twist in the story. Well, good night. Oh, and please review, it really bolsters my writing motivation.

Seras Out! Till Next Time!


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